Memories of Yesterday
by Wesker Chick
Summary: Alexandra has worked for Umbrella for 4 years. She is about to be thrown into a situation she has worked her entire career to prevent. Can Albert's baby sister survive Raccoon City's final hours? Part One of the Memories Trilogy Completely Re-written
1. The Sibling

**_July 20, 1998_**

The young woman rolled over, cracking a single eye. She glared at the buzzing alarm clock for a full five minutes, before finally silencing it with the snap of her palm. She yawned loudly as she sat up and pushed several strand of sleep tangled hair out of her eyes. After contemplating whether or not she should call in sick, she finally gave in and swung her legs out of bed. She stood up, cracking her neck loudly, before stumbling into the bathroom.

Twenty-one year old Alexandra, or Alex as she preferred, was tall, standing at 5'9". She was also thin, but not in a sickly way. In fact one would best describe her build as athletic. She had a mess of jaw length white blonde hair and dark piercing cobalt blue eyes. Though her eyes were covered by dark sunglasses more often than not. She was also blessed with a pale pallor that no amount of tanning could darken. Ironically, she never burned either. Her features were soft yet prominent. All in all, she looked like the girl next door, of course looks could be deceiving.

Alex emerged from the bathroom thirty minutes later, wrapped in a towel and looking slightly more awake. She jerked open the drawer of her bureau. It took her less than thirty seconds to yank out a pair of stone washed jeans, several undergarments, and a faded R.P.D. tank top with the S.T.A.R.S. logo on the back. She'd stolen it from her brother, several months back, not that he'd ever notice it was missing. She pulled her hair back into a short ponytail as she headed for the front door.

She grabbed her sunglasses off a side table near the door, along with her car keys, and an I.D. badge. As she clipped the badge on one of the belt loops on her jeans, she reached under the table for the final item her job required…a 9mm Beretta. Alex popped the clip, nodded her approval and slide it back home. She looked thoughtful as she slipped a shoulder rig on and shoved the Beretta in the holster. Her job was to keep William Birkin alive and humans weren't the only things she had to protect him from.

No, Alexandra Wesker thought to herself, humans were her last concern…

* * *

Alex steered the Buick into traffic anxious to get to work, despite the fact she still had about two hours before she was supposed to be there. But with the news of the cannibal murders, and panic spreading like wildfire around Raccoon, she was sleeping less than usual, maybe four hours at a time. Meaning she was getting to work just that much earlier and being slightly less paranoid about Birkin's welfare that much earlier.

The news was saying it was a cult and the cops weren't saying a whole hell of a lot. Every other day or so Chief Irons would give a press conference, reassuring the public that everything was being done to find the culprits. In fact, Irons had announced just last night that he had assigned S.T.A.R.S. to the case. This seemed to calm the ignorant masses, unfortunately Alex was one of only a handful of people who really knew what was going on. Then again, she wasn't entirely sure what she was being told was the truth. But you didn't ask questions. If you did, you could find yourself becoming a science project with the snap of your employer's fingers.

Alex groaned as the trill of a cell phone cut over the radio. She knew who it was, even before she pulled the car over and yanked the cell out of the glove compartment.

"Hello?"

"Alexandra, I need you to pick up several files from Dr. Wesker. Bring them with you."

Alex listened to the dial tone for a moment, before clicking the phone off, and tossing it on the passenger seat. She pulled the Buick back into traffic and headed toward the police station. Birkin, as far as Alex was concerned, really needed to learn a few people skills. She knew that would never happen, Birkin was too wrapped up in his precious G-Virus to worry about good manners. Most of the time he didn't even realize she was in the same room with him until he needed her to do something. Like running errands or being a middle man between him and her brother. It wasn't a coincidence that William Birkin's bodyguard/personal assistant was also the S.T.A.R.S. Captain's sister. Umbrella never dealt in coincidence, even if events sometimes appeared that way.

"Hey there good looking."

Alex turned slightly as she slammed the driver's door closed. Forest Speyer smiled brightly as he crossed his arms on the roof of Alex's Buick. Forest was a good looking man, with long thick brown hair, and a nice muscular build. He was exactly 6', making him only three inches taller than Alex. A physical point he happened to relish. Forest liked his women tall.

Alex smiled back, pocketing her keys. She liked Forest quite a bit actually. In fact she had known him since she'd first moved to Raccoon seven years ago.

"How you doing?"

"Pretty good." Forest's smile broadened. "I see you're ready for work."

Alex's eyes strayed to the Berretta and her ID badge for a moment. As far as Forest, and anyone else knew, she was security for the Umbrella offices downtown. Of course what none of them knew, was that downtown literarily meant under the town. She was indeed head of security, but for the underground labs, not the head offices on Main.

"No rest for the weary. Speaking of which, have you seen my brother?"

"Office, last time I checked."

"Thanks Forest."

Alex quickly slipped inside, leaving Forest to deal with a meter maid that was just pulling up next to Alex's car. She giggled to herself as Forest tried to keep the shapely young cop from ticketing Alex's car for illegal parking. Thankfully, the doors swung closed shutting Forest off in mid-explanation.

Alex shook her head, stepping quickly across the station's lobby. She was amazed at the size of the place, every time she walked in. Before becoming the R.P.D. the building had been City Hall, a museum, and a library, not necessarily in that order.

She walked across the marble floor and through the western door. She passed several officers on her way to the stairwell, most of them nodded toward her, a few said hello. Most of them knew her on sight, and not just because of her brother. Alex used to work at the R.P.D., before taking a job with Umbrella. She'd made friends with every cop from the Arson Detectives to the Meter Maids during her short tenure as field report Secretary. Not that one could really call two years short.

Alex was breathing like she'd just run a marathon by the time she reached the door to the S.T.A.R.S. office on the second floor. For some odd reason air conditioning had never been routed to the west wing's second floor. Secretly Alex thought Chief Irons just did it to aggravate Albert. The two men both worked for Umbrella, but Iron's position was far below Albert's and it ticked Irons off to no end.

Alex stopped in front of the office, wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead. Despite living in the north for so long, Alex's tolerance of heat, gained in her youth, still survived. It wasn't the heat that was getting to her or even the humidity, it was the stifling feeling of being indoors.

Just as Alex reached for the door, it swung open…almost clipping her in the head in the process. The only thing that saved her face from a nasty bruise was her quick reflexes. A second later Brad peeked around the door edge, spotted Alex, and blushed a bright crimson.

"Hey Brad. How are you on this fine day?"

"Fine…fine…"

Brad trailed off, his face going even redder.

"Come on Brad, move." Kenneth sounded slightly perturbed as he stepped from behind both Brad and the door. "Good way to break her nose or her glasses. Not that breaking her glasses would be a bad idea, considering she never takes them off. What is this need you and the Captain have about wearing sunglasses inside a building anyway?"

"I picked up the habit from Albert, he wears them because his eyes are light sensitive. I suppose you noticed he wears them at night as well."

"I've noticed." Kenneth eyed her for a moment, then shook his head. "Even without the glasses, you'd know you two were related. It's hard to believe you're five years younger than him."

"Speaking of my brother, is he in there?"

"Wait, that means you're twenty-one right?"

"Yea." Alex tilted her head, giving Brad a sly smile. "You've known me for three years and you thought Albert and I were the same age?"

"Well…yea.' Brad shrugged. "It's not like I ever thought to ask how old you were."

"Now you know. By the way where is my brother?"

"Meeting with Irons. He should be back in a few minutes though." Kenneth grinned and nudged Brad toward the end of the hallway. "As for me and esteemed colleague have things to do."

Reluctantly, Brad allowed himself to be herded down the hallway and out of sight. In the meantime Alex shook her head, a smile plastered to her face. She chuckled softly to herself and slipped into the S.T.A.R.S. office.

Chris eyed the rather large mess covering his desk and wondered if he should sweep it all into a trash can or try going through it. In the end he just decided to dig through three months worth of memos and old reports to find what he was looking for. Chris and paperwork had never gotten along well, going all the way back to Grade School. It didn't like him and he didn't like it. Even Captain Wesker, as meticulous as he was, couldn't get Chris organized.

"My God, I think it's actually gotten worse."

Chris glanced up from the open desk. Alex was standing in the doorway, arms crossed, and shaking her head. Chris smirked, allowing the papers he'd been digging through to fall back into the drawer. Which included two week old newspapers, a B&E report that was two months old, and a rent receipt for an apartment he hadn't lived in, in over two years.

"There's a system at work." He gestured to several stacks of teetering files. "It has an order to it."

"Sure there is." Alex nodded, sarcastically, boosting herself up onto the only clean spot the desk held. "It's called being sloppy."

Chris laughed, shaking his head. Alex held her smirk for several seconds more, before finally breaking out into laughter herself. Still chuckling, Chris leaned forward and gave Alex a sly grin.

"So Alex, when are you and I going on that date?"

Alex arched an eyebrow and leaned forward, her lips only inches from Chris' ear.

"As soon as you clear it through my brother."

"That won't be happening anytime soon."

The deep voice echoed through the small office. Chris looked up and saw the Captain framed in the doorway, he didn't look very happy either. Not that Chris could really blame him, the situation didn't look exactly innocent. Chris flicked his gaze from Wesker to Alex, who was still only inches from his ear. Alex's smile broadened as she leaned forward and gave Chris a peck on the cheek, something that did not appear to amuse Wesker in the slightest.

"Don't be so worried." She whispered as she pulled away. "Albert isn't going to shoot you in the middle of the R.P.D."

Chris rolled his eyes as Alex turned her attention to Wesker, smiling brightly.

"I was waiting for you."

Wesker didn't reply, instead he continued to glare at Chris. Chris shifted uncomfortably, taking great interest in an out of date calendar on his desk. Alex rolled her eyes, pushed herself off the desk, and walked toward her brother. As she approached, Wesker turned his critical gaze from Chris to her. Alex stopped directly in front of him, arms crossed and looking quite defiant. Chris chanced a glance at the two of them, expecting an argument at any second. Instead, Alex broke into a smile. Being only three inches shorter than Wesker, it wasn't difficult for her to perform her next task. She pulled herself up to her full height and gave Wesker a sisterly kiss on the check.

Wesker said nothing, but Chris did notice that his body seemed to lose what tension it had been holding only seconds before. While the two siblings stared at each other, Chris took this opportunity to slip past them and out the door.

Wesker only spared half a glance at the retreating Redfield, before returning his full attention to his baby sister.

"I trust you didn't come here to flirt with Redfield." He grimaced slightly, then tilted his head to look over his sunglasses. "Did you?"

Aaron rolled her eyes, flipping a hand at him to dismiss the topic. Wesker scrutinized the red tinge in cheeks for several seconds, before pushing his sunglasses back into place, and walking to his desk.

Albert Wesker stood an imposing 6'0", with broad shoulders, and a well muscled athletic frame. In High School he'd played football and ran track. So it came as little surprise he was still pretty fit. His hair was a slightly darker blonde than that of his sister's and he wasn't as pale skinned, but they both shared the same piercing cobalt blue eyes.

Wesker sat down, resting his forearms on the desk. Aaron boosted herself onto the desk itself, pushing a framed picture to the side. There was a few seconds of silence, then a soft tapping sound echoed in the office.

"Well Aaron?"

"Birkin said you had a file."

Wesker sighed heavily, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small key ring and leaned over the left side of the desk. There was a jingling of keys, a soft click, then a clanking noise as Wesker pulled the bottom drawer open. A second later he sat up holding a thick file folder in his hand.

"Is this another one of those files I can't look at, because I might contaminate it?"

"Aaron, you were deeply involved in the Tyrant Project from inception to finished project." Wesker kicked the drawer closed, then swiveled to look his sister in the eye. "How the hell could you contaminate a file by looking at it?"

Aaron shrugged. "Ask Bates."

"The man is an idiot." Wesker snapped. "Why Kent hired him is anyone's guess."

Aaron shrugged and slide off the desk, the file tucked under her arm. She glanced at her watch, then slide her sunglasses into place. Wesker granted her a ghostly smile and shook his head. The sunglasses were a trick she picked up from him, although he had good reason to wear them. She used them as an intimidation tactic, which he had to admit worked out quite well for her.

"Back to work."

Aaron spun around and headed for the door. Wesker gave a brief nod, pulling a few papers toward him…memos that really held little to no interest for him, but still needed his attention.

"Hey Albert…"

Wesker glanced up, noting Aaron had stopped at the door with one hand resting lightly on the handle.

"Be careful huh?" She shrugged. "Just got a feeling."

Wesker arched an eyebrow, then slowly nodded. Aaron nodded back, before slipping out the door. Wesker leaned back in his chair, folding his hands on his lap. Briefly he wondered is she knew about his plans, then dismissed that train of thought. Aaron had no idea what he had planned, which was all the better for her. After all, Umbrella did not take kindly to betrayal…


	2. The Incident

_**July 25, 1998**_

Alex leaned against the kitchen counter, watching the coffee machine perk with bleary eyes. She yawned, idly pushing a S.T.A.R.S. coffee cup back and forth. The clock on the microwave read 5:49 a.m. The sun had barley risen and she was already up and ready for a day at work. She didn't need to be up this early of course, is was her day off. The only explanation was that she was used to getting up early and Birkin's sleep habits, or complete lack of sleep, was rubbing off on her.

"Finally." She mumbled, reaching for the pot. "Damn thing is slower than molasses in January."

Suddenly the phone rang. Alex snapped her head around, taking several seconds to recognize just what the sound was. Three thoughts ran through her head as she grabbed for the phone on the counter. Two; Their was some kind of outbreak at the labs. Three; There was an outbreak and something had escaped. But her number one concern was Birkin. As head of security, not to mention the personal bodyguard of William Birkin, she would be the first informed should there have been an incident.

"Hello."

"Alexandra Wesker?"

The voice was unfamiliar. She knew everyone that worked in those labs and this wasn't an employee.

"Yes."

"This is detective Martin's at the R.P.D. There's been an incident…"

"What kind of incident?"

"If you could come down to the station, we could…"

"Listen here buddy." Alex's voice was clipped and tinged with anger. "You tell me what the hell is going on."

"Miss Wesker, we don't like to give out this kind of information on the phone. As I said, if you could please…"

"Fine."

Alex hit the end button and tossed the phone on the counter. She didn't bother to notice that it slide into her coffee cup, or that both hit the floor with a crash. Instead she stalked through the living room, snagging her glasses and keys before storming out the door.

It normally took her twenty minutes to get to the R.P.D., on this morning it took her a flat five. She abandoned the car in front of the R.P.D., with the right front tire sitting on the sidewalk. As soon as she stepped into the lobby, she headed directly up past the fountain to the Reception Desk. A young woman with straight black hair was typing on a computer when Alex cleared her throat.

"Excuse me…"

"You'll have to wait."

Alex narrowed her eyes at the woman's snotty tone. She was already upset and worried. When she got like this, she had the tendency to get very easily pissed off. However, she was trying to control her anger. So instead of pulling her gun, which she hadn't realized till now she'd even grabbed, she took a deep breath and cleared her throat again.

"Miss, I received a…"

The woman sighed heavily, but never took her eyes from the computer.

"I'm sorry but you'll just have to wait, some of us have work to do you know." The Receptionist flicked her fingers back toward the front doors. "Just have a seat Missy and wait like a good little girl."

For a moment, Alex was completely stunned. However, surprise turned to anger, fueling the anger already present from the worry over Albert. Finally Alex smiled.

"Alright."

The woman grunted in reply as Alex carefully scrutinized the desk. After a full minute Alex found what she was looking for. She reached down and yanked the CPU's power cord.

"Oh no!"

The Receptionist stared at the computer like the world had ended, before turning her shocked gaze to Alex.

"Now, if you don't mind, I need some information."

Alex smiled, the CPU's power cord dangling from her right hand. The smile was cold, it went a long way toward convincing the Receptionist she wasn't someone with which to fuck. The fact she was in cut-off sweat pants, a wife beater, and no shoes helped to push the Receptionist toward the conclusion that perhaps she should tell Alex whatever she wanted to know. Of course the gun in the shoulder rig wasn't helping the Receptionist's nerves either.

"Uh…how can I help you miss?"

"Detective Martin's office."

"Eastern door, first door on your right."

Alex dropped the cord, pushed her sunglasses up with her index finger, and headed through the eastern door. She knew where she was going. Back in her time with the R.P.D. the offices she was heading to were used for I.A., Internal Affairs. She stopped in front of the double doors, immediately noticing the sign at eye level.

"Things haven't changed."

As soon as she stepped through the door, she was met by a young slim man in a dark blue suit.

"Can I help you miss?"

His tone was slightly clipped as he looked her over. Her response was also clipped.

"I received a phone call from a Detective Martin, concerning my brother Albert."

The man's eyes widened slightly and he nodded. "One moment."

Alex sighed heavily, tapping her foot impatiently as the young detective stepped over to a glassed-in office. He knocked lightly then stepped inside. A minute later he reappeared.

"Detective Martin will see you now Miss."

Alex stepped past him into the office. As the door shut behind her, the man behind the desk stood and extended his hand.

"Miss Wesker, I'm Detective Martin." He motioned toward one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Please have a seat."

Alex sat down, crossing her legs. Despite the clothing, or lack there of in the case of shoes, she somehow managed to look professional and lady-like. Martin absently straightened his tie and again took his seat. Alex was competent at reading people, one might go so far at to say she was rather good at it. What she saw in front of her was a broad-shouldered man with thick black hair, chiseled features, and a very nervous expression. As if to reinforce this observation, Martin again fiddled with his tie.

"Would you like.."

"Detective, can we cut the bullshit?" Martin's eyes widened slightly as Alex pulled her sunglasses off. "What interest does Internal Affairs have with my brother."

"I'm afraid, Miss Wesker, there has been an incident. I can't discuss the full details with you at this time, but it appears…" Martin lowered his eyes, not eve able to meet her gaze. "I'm afraid your brother is dead…"

* * *

Chris approached the gate of the cemetery, looking apprehensive. It was raining again and his dark brown hair, even as short as he kept it, was plastered to his face. The water rolled off his leather jacket in rivers as he stepped inside, heading toward a certain grave.

Four days had gone by since he'd been forced to survive a nightmare straight out of horror movie. But he hadn't been the only one. Jill, Rebecca, Barry, and Brad had survived as well. Considering Brad abandoned that that night, Chris chose not to include him in the plans he and the others were making. Because right now, no one believed their story. No one believed that world's largest pharmaceutical company, and biggest employer in Raccoon, was creating bio-weapons.

No, they were believing umbrella…

The mansion hadn't been used in years, except for storage. The explosion of said mansion, caused a chemical reaction. This of course was the reason behind the hallucinations the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members had experienced. That was what the media and the high ranking brass at the R.P.D. were believing, that the S.T.A.R.S. team had been investigating the mansion for signs of the people responsible for the recent cannibal murders, something happened, and the mansion went up in flames…taking most of the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha and Bravo teams with it, not to mention the people responsible for the cannibal murders. And that was it, case closed. The truth they had been telling the entire time, was swept under the carpet. Their story considered to be nothing more ramblings from people who'd been influenced by some stray chemical fumes.

The funerals had been yesterday, all of those killed because of Umbrella's science projects were laid to rest with full police honor. All except one that is. Chris stopped, spotting Alex standing in front of a grave. She was soaked to the bone, but didn't seem to notice. He was particularly grateful that the media hadn't found out about her private viewing and burial of her brother. Perhaps she was the one the media had been hounding the most, despite the fact she hadn't been near the mansion that night.

Stories about zombies, man eating plants, and giant killing machines hadn't been the only things swept under the carpet. The news of Captain Wesker's betrayal had also been left out. How Chris had stood there, watched Wesker shoot Rebecca point blank in the chest, and then release an eight foot bioengineered Tyrant. That's how Wesker lost his life, speared through the chest by an out of control science monstrosity, not in some explosion. Even with the cover-up, the story had leaked to the media and the circus had been going on ever since. In fact Chris hadn't talked to Alex since she'd come to the R.P.D. a couple days ago…

_Chris sat at his desk, absently looking over an official report of the 'Spencer Incident'. It was a load of crap really, the only reason he was scanning it over was to give himself something to do while he though over what had really happened that night…especially concerning Wesker…_

_Chris had always thought the Captain was rather cold and closed off, but he had never expected him capable of betrayal and outright murder. He supposed that if he had been wrong about the Captain, might he not also be wrong about Alexandra?_

_Chris's head snapped up and his hand reached for his gun, as the office door creaked open. Alex stood framed in the doorway, a cardboard box tucked under one arm. He had expected her not to look too well, after all she had lost her brother and Chris suspected they had been close. Still, he was shocked to see just how bad off she was. She had always been pale, but now she was so white she was almost translucent. Her sunglasses were atop her head, so Chris could plainly see the heavy dark circles under her eyes. Her eyes themselves were red and he suspected it was the result of crying and lack of sleep. She also looked as though she may have lost some weight, her clothes hung on her like they were three sizes too big. Even her hair had not escaped unscathed; it looked limp and had lost its sheen. It was the first time he had ever seen her do nothing with it, it had always been pulled back into a ponytail or slicked back like her brother's. Now it hung over her face like a veil._

"_Going to shoot me Chris?"_

_Her voice was hoarse and gravely, making her sound older than she was. She smiled weakly at him as he released the grip on his Beretta. For the first time, he noticed she wasn't wearing a gun herself. For as long as Chris could recall, he only knew of two other instances when she hadn't been carrying her ID badge and gun._

"_Sorry, bit jumpy as of late."_

"_I think…I think, I can understand why."_

_And at that moment, Chris knew there was more to Alex than met the eye. The tone of her voice told him she knew what he knew, what all the mansion survivors knew…the truth about Umbrella's real source of income. He wasn't entirely surprised, not like he would have been before the mansion. His only questions was just how much did she know and how much of her feelings toward him were true or a simple act. _

"_IA said I could collect Albert's things, now that the investigation is closed."_

_Chris shrugged as Alex sat down at Wesker's desk, sitting the box at her feet. She sighed, looking over the open drawers and litter that covered the top of the desk. Chris said nothing. He knew what had happened of course, because he and Jill had been responsible. They'd gone through the desk like a tornado, looking for anything that would prove their story. They hadn't found anything, not even a stray memo._

"_Damn Internal Affairs." Alex snapped, eyeing the mess. "They didn't need to go this far and even if they did, they could have at least cleaned up after themselves."_

_Slowly Alex picked through the mess, absently straightening papers as she went. Chris leaned against the wall behind her, watching with great interest. She carefully picked dup a small 5X7 frame and placed it in the box. Chris remembered snapping the picture for her last year, about six months after he had arrived in town. Wesker and Alex were standing in front of the R.P.D.'s gate. Wesker was wearing his blue S.T.A.R.S. uniform and Alex was wearing a black Umbrella security uniform. It was the first and only time he ever saw her wear it._

"_Looks like they weren't smart enough to figure this one out."_

_Chris stepped forward slightly, as Alex produced a set of keys and unlocked the lower left drawer. He was more than interested in what was in there, even Jill and her lock picks couldn't get that thing open. However he was slightly disappointed as Alex pulled out a chrome Desert Eagle.50 caliber Magnum. She popped the clip and pulled the slide back to eject the round in the pipe. She set the safety and laid the gun in the box, it was then Chris noticed the R.P.D. emblem set into the grip._

"_I thought the Captain only carried the M92F that Kendo did up for us."_

"_Sometimes you need more stopping power that even a modified 9mm can provide."_

_Chris arched an eyebrow as Alex pulled out eh last item in the drawer, the Captain's S.T.A.R.S. shield. She ran her fingers lightly over the badge, emitting a small sob. Chris stepped up and laid a hand on her shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. She dropped the badge in the boas she reached up and touched his hand._

"_I'm sorry Alex."_

_Alex smiled dimly. "Not really, but I thank you for the sentiment."_

_She squeezed his hand, stood up, and lifted the box off the floor. Her eyes strayed to one of the photos on the wall, as she shifted the box into a better position. The photo in question had been taken only two weeks ago and featured the S.T.A.R.S Alpha and Bravo teams in front of the S.T.A.R.S. chopper. Alex started to reach for the picture, then suddenly thought better of it, letting her hand drop to her side. Without another word, she turned and headed for the door._

"_Hey, Alex, wait a second."_

_Chris quickstepped to his desk, as Alex turned in his direction. He yanked one of the drawers out and up-ended it on the desktop. The contents of said drawer spilled across the desk, some of it landing on the floor. Chris pushed the contents around, ignoring the strange look Alex was giving him, his attention more focused on whatever it was he was digging for._

"_Here." He held out an 8X10. "We all got a copy, Wes…the Captain hung his up."_

"_You don't want it?" Even as she asked, she reached out and took hold of the pictured by the offered corner. "I mean Forest was…that is..."_

"_It's alright..." He murmured, briefly recalling the friendship she was hinting at. "You keep it."_

_Chris released the picture and Alex carefully laid it in the box. She looked up, her shiny with tears. She stepped forward and kissed Chris gently on his cheek, whispering in his ear as she drew back._

"_Thank you ."_

_She flashed him a tired smile and slipped out the door._

And now here he was was, standing in the middle of a cemetery in the rain. Alex was standing in front of her brother's grave, her back toward him. Between them lay an ocean of questions. Chris tightened his shoulders and walked forward…

* * *

Alex stared down at the grave, ignoring the rain running down her face. There had been no viewing, and no service. She hadn't even been there for the actual lowering of the casket. There was no body, but she'd buried a coffin anyway. In fact, Albert's was the only body not found in the wreckage. Umbrella's excuse to the R.P.D. was that Albert had been too close to the initial blast.

But Alex knew the truth. ..

_Alex was barley home a minute when her phone rang. She grabbed the receiver from the end table, already anticipating who was calling._

"_Wesker"_

"_Ms. Wesker, your presence is required at the head office."_

_A second later, the dial tone clicked on. She dropped the receiver on the cradle and stepped into her bedroom. She had not worried about her appearance during work or even outside of work in a long time. This meeting, however, was a different matter._

_Douglas was not a board member, nor was he head of operations for this city or any other. No, Douglas was the cleanup man. His job was to investigate situations, deem a course of action, and report to whomever was in charge his findings._

_He had not been in Raccoon for this current situation, he was here on another matter. With the latter taken car of he had been asked to look into the mansion incident. He had already looked over the tapes recovered from the security system and reported his findings. All that was left, was a simple conversation._

"_Mr. Douglas."_

_Douglas looked up, his piercing emerald green eyes revealing none of his thoughts. The young secretary smiled back at him, no fear in her face or gestures. Ice, as she had come to be called had been his right hand for years, she knew his moods better than anyone…living or dead._

"_Yes?"_

"_The young woman is here."_

"_Very well." Douglas flipped the file shut and stood, buttoning his suit jacket. "Show her in."_

_Ice nodded and disappeared. Douglas leaned against the edge of his temporary desk, lighting a cigarette. He looked up as the door opened. Ice entered first, followed by a tall woman wearing a black UBCS combat uniform and dark lensed sunglasses. This was the first time Douglas had come face to face with the younger of the Wesker siblings He had, of course, read all the files concerning her. Sill, it did not entirely prepare him for the icy presence standing rigidly before him._

"_Ms Wesker."_

_Douglas shook her hand, taking note of her strong sure grip. He had met the older sibling on several occasions and found their resemblance to be uncanny. He was also mildly turned on by her superior height and slicked back white blonde hair. Douglas himself was a slight 5'5" with light ash brown hair, that he always wore in a crew cut._

_His eyes flickered between Wesker and Ice, noting the drastic differences between the two women. Ice was short, standing only 5'1", with a slim build than almost made her look malnourished. Her hair, always won in a tight bun at the bas of her neck, was dirty dishwater blonde. Her eyes were a pale almond an perhaps her best feature. Ms. Wesker's were hidden at the moment, but he knew them to be a dark cobalt blue._

_Night and day, yet both radiated strength and resolve. A smirk flickered across his features briefly, as he wondered just who would win if the two were pitted against one another. Looking as Wesker's file, he knew she was qualified, but there was more to Ice than met the eye._

"_Please have a seat Ms. Wesker."_

_Douglas inwardly smiled at her catlike grace as she took her seat in front of his desk. A second later, Ice was at his side, standing in her customary position on his right._

"_Ms. Wesker, I expect you know why you've been called here today?"_

"_Indeed." Wesker's voice was calm, cool, and professional. "The Arklay facility is nothing more than a very large hole, the surviving S.T.A.R.S. members are screaming zombie, and my brother is no longer among the living. I expect this meeting has something to with the latter situation."_

"_You are very sharp Ms. Wesker"_

"_I did not gain my current position by being ignorant Mr. Douglas."_

_Douglas was only mildly surprised that she knew who he was. After all, his reputation was as notorious as both the Wesker siblings. A small smile flickered across his lips as he opened the file in front of him._

"_Indeed Ms. Wesker, your file documents your rise through Umbrella well. As does your brother's file, document his rise. But you see, there in lies the problem." Douglas flipped the filed closed and leaned back in his chair. "Your brother appears to have chosen the road less traveled. In other words, he attempted to betray Umbrella."_

_He let the statement sink in, watching Wesker's reaction closely. She betrayed nothing. Her shoulders never tightened or slumped, her head stayed erect and facing him. Douglas was neither surprised nor upset as this development. True,. It would have made his job easier is she had showed some sign of knowing or surprise at his disclosement. But there were other ways. _

_Douglas always had other ways of finding out what he wanted to know…_

Alex snapped out of her thoughts, unmindful of the rain running down her face and soaking through her dress. Her haggard appearance had changed little since she had seen Chris on the 27th.

A lot of it had to do with Albert's death, the rest had to do with the four hour talk and moving viewing. Watching her brother being impaled, over and over again had done little for her physical and mental state. Still, she had come out unscathed…relatively speaking of course.

As far as she knew, her job position was secure, as secure as it could be given the situation. It also appeared that Umbrella ad no intention of turning her into a science experiment any time soon, which was always a comfort.

She stepped forward laying a single white rose on Albert's gravestone, his favorite. As she turned away, she saw Chris walking towards her. He was as soaked as she was. He stopped just in front of her, hands stuffed into his pockets. She shivered, it was late July almost August but, the rain was cold as ice. Chris shrugged out of his jacket, the one Claire had given him with the _Made in Heaven _logo on the back. He stepped forward and slipped the jacket over her shoulders. She gave him a strained smile and slid her arms into the sleeves.

"Do you want to talk about it?", he asked, genuinely sympathetic.

"No."

That word alone was enough to stop any more questions. Alex turned, gave him a peck on the cheek, and walked away from the grave stone. Suddenly she stopped, remembering her last few minutes with Albert. She turned, looking back at Chris, the rain now starting to soak through his blue tee shirt.

"Chris I want you to listen carefully to what I'm about to say, there are things going on in Raccoon. The Spencer Installation is just the tip of the iceberg. If you value your life, you'll let it go."

She started to walk away again, but Chris grabbed her arm, swinging her around to face him.

"What are you talking about?"

"There are things I know that would make you despise me. I know, or should I say, knew what they were doing at those labs under the mansion. I knew about the Tyrant. I also know that if you don't stop, if you continue to go after this, you'll wind up just like the rest of the S.T.A.R.S." She started walking away again, and this time Chris didn't stop her. "Please, forget about the Mansion and Umbrella. I don't want to see you end up like my brother."

She walked out of the cemetery and never once did she look back…


	3. The Assignment

**August 13, 1998**

Alex sat at her desk, busy adding a new technician to the database. Normally, she'd have had Davis do this, but he was _unavailable_ at the moment. He was currently assigned to cleanup duty, escorting the truck that would haul the failed experiments to the factory out of town for incineration. Not a pretty job, hence the reason she'd given it to him. Insubordination was something Alex could not and would not tolerate.

She was just finishing up, when Keith Alexander came through the door. He was a well built man, in his late twenties, with just the right amount of thick black hair. When they'd first been introduced, Alex thought he'd have a problem taking orders from a women six years his junior. She'd been wrong. Keith was a professional and recognized that Alex was as well.

"What do you need Keith?" She didn't even bother to look up from the computer as she asked. "It had better not have anything to do with Bates."

"As a matter of fact, Bates wants to see you in his office. I'm not going to repeat the order verbatim, but the basic idea was that you drop what you're doing and head there immediately.".

"Oh goody, just what I needed today." Alex hit the final keystroke and pushed away from the desk, giving Keith a rare smile. "So what were his exact words?"

"Oh something like _Tell that sunglass wearing boss of yours to get her ass down here, before she finds herself running cleanup duty on zombies._ Something like that."

"Like he has the balls to do that, not to mention the authority." She sighed, climbing to her feet. "Take that new technician down to lab three, while I go see what our esteemed leader wants."

Alex walked down the corridor, slowly. She had every intention of drawing out the walk to Bates' office, as much as possible. She nodded at a few security personnel as she walked. Three were stationed in front of Birkin's lab, one was inside the anteroom…her orders. Birkin allowed no on inside the main lab except Annette and herself. Much to the chagrin of Bates.

Officially Bates ran the labs here under Raccoon, at least on paper anyway. In reality, he was nothing more than a glorified babysitter, who wrote a lot of reports. He had no authority over any decisions regarding experiments, that was Birkin's domain. He had no say in security shifts or placement of personnel, that was her job. Basically he was left with authority over his personal secretary and little else. Which made him a major asshole, who quite enjoyed bothering her with useless and trivial matters. He didn't dare bother Birkin, stupid as he was…he wasn't that stupid.

Ales looked over the door to his office, an old technician's office by the machine elevator, with an irate expression on her face. Sighing again, she adjusted her glasses and opened the door…not even bothering to knock. Melanie, Bates' personal assistant, was shoving a few files into a nearby cabinet. The man himself was ignoring the papers on his desk, because he was busy staring at the poor woman's ass. Alex cleared her throat, crossing her arms. Bates snapped his head up to glare at her, as Melanie scuttled out of the office and down the hallway. No doubt the woman was grateful for Alex and her timing. Alex smiled and sat down in a nearby chair, not bothering to remove her sunglasses.

"Keith said you wanted to see me."

"Yes though I sent Keith after you twenty minutes ago. Where have you been?"

Bates puffed himself out like an old laying hen. Alex almost burst into laughter. If he though he looked intimidation, he was sorely mistaken.

"I was busy. Some of us around here, have actual work to do."

Alex cracked a smile, as Bates' face turned a bright shade of scarlet. He recovered quickly, shuffling several papers together while clearing his throat.

"I wanted to speak to you about Davis."

"What about him?"

Alex's mood darkened considerably. Davis was a major kiss ass, leading her to believe that he'd gone crying to Bates after being reassigned. Not that it would do him much good.

"I would like to know why he was assigned to escort the disposal truck."

"Not that it is really any of your business, but …"

Alex was cut short, as Bates suddenly slammed a hand down on his desk.

"It is my concern Miss Wesker, I am in charge of this base and I demand to know why Davis was reassigned!"

"He was reassigned for insubordination." Alex said calmly, as she adjusted her sunglasses. "I do not take kindly to those under me, making trouble."

"Oh really, and here I thought is was for comments he made about your treacherous brother."

Bates smiled like a shark. Alex merely stared back at him, her face betraying nothing. Bate's smile slipped, as he realized the brother remark was having the impact he'd hoped for.

"Davis has been giving me problems for months now, he was warned. He crossed the line, and I shipped him to the disposal plant for a month or two."

Which was the truth, despite the fact he had indeed made some rather rude comment about Albert. In actuality, the man didn't like taking orders from a woman, especially a woman ten years his junior.

"I want him back here…today."

Bates then waved a hand toward her, dismissively. To say Alex was angry, was an understatement. She slowly stood up and approached the desk, placing both hands on it's shiny surface.

"How does it feel to want?"

"You have your orders Wesker, I suggest you follow them."

Bates glared up at her…she glared back, the sunglasses still firmly in place. Nothing aggravated Bates more than those sunglasses.

"I don't take orders from you. You are not my boss or have you forgotten?"

Alex smiled slyly as Bates turned red and stood up slamming his hands on his desk. Their poses were perfectly mirrored, especially since Alex could match his 5'8" frame.

"Listen to me you little blonde bitc…"

"If you wanna walk out of here, don't finish that sentence."

Alex stared him down, one had fluttering over the Desert Eagle in her shoulder holster. Bates, unfortunately, didn't back down.

"Don't threaten me girl. You're walking on eggshells as it is. So I suggest you take yourself back to your office, be a good little girl, and follow my orders." Bates' voice was unusually quiet. Alex was seething. "And take off those damn sunglasses!"

He reached for the glasses, but Alex was faster. She grabbed his wrist, her face turning into a perfect imitation of her brother's. Bates paled at this sudden change. Anyone would pale under that smug sneer, tinged with just the right amount of dark humor.

"I repeat…I don't take orders from you."

Her voice was ice as she tightened her grip, twisting Bates wrist enough to make him yelp.

"Am I interrupting?"

Alex turned, her left hand already going for the berretta she kept in a thigh holster, her right still held Bates in a steely grip. The man at the door, was dressed in an expensive three piece suit. He was tall, around 6'1" 6'2", with dark brown hair combed to perfection. Michael Kent smiled, as if the notion that his top Security officer breaking the wrist of the man in charge of the Raccoon labs was no big deal. Alex moved her hand away from the berretta, but didn't release Bates. Kent moved across the floor and took a seat in one of the empty chairs.

"Would someone mind explaining?"

Kent's voice was cool and calm. Alex may hate Bates, but she had the up most respect for Kent. He was, after all, the man in charge of every installation in Raccoon City and the only man she took orders from.

"A minor disagreement about my current fashions." Alex said, giving a slight smile.

She released Bates and took the seat opposite Kent. Bates fell into his own chair, rubbing his wrist.

"I'm not dealing with her anymore!" Bates seemed to find a backbone with Kent there. "I want her out of my lab!"

"Your lab?" Bates lost whatever backbone he'd had only moments ago, under Kent's piercing green eyes. "The last time I checked these were Umbrella's labs."

"I'm…I'm sorry Mr. Kent, but she's a loose cannon, I can't deal with her anymore!"

"If you would quite trying to do her job, then maybe you wouldn't have these problems. Now, I will speak to you later."

Kent turned his attention to Alex, effectively dismissing Bates. He scurried out of the room, casting a glare in her direction as he slipped out the door. Alex ignored him.

"Now Alex. I have some business to discuss with you."

"I assumed this wasn't a social call."

"You get more like your brother every day. Let us hope you do not make his mistakes."

"I have no intention of betraying Umbrella."

"Very good. Now you are being reassigned. We want you to keep an eye on the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members, especially Redfield. He's been poking around."

"Alright. Whose going to run security around here, certainly not Bates."

The thought of that pompous ass running security, made her sick.

"No, Keith Alexander will be in charge, until you assignment is over."

"Very well, is there anything else?", she asked, getting to her feet.

"Not even a question as to why you were selected for this assignment?"

Kent looked her over as she stopped, her hand resting on the doorknob. She turned, absently adjusting her glasses. The fact that the small gesture very much resembled something Albert Wesker would do, did not escape Kent's attention.

"I would assume it's because I was closer to the S.T.A.R.S. team, more than any other person in Umbrella."

"Sharp mind you have Alex. Mind it doesn't get you in trouble."

And with those parting words, Alex left the office.


	4. The Meeting

**August 22, 1998**

Alex yawned, running a hand through her hair. It was 3:00 in the morning and the streets were empty. It could have something to do with heavy downpour that had been plaguing Raccoon for three days, or it might have something to do with the recent murders. Kent had reassured her that there was nothing to worry about that everything was going fine at the labs. That did not make her feel better about the whole situation. Nor did she feel very good about the meeting she was currently driving to. Despite her orders to watch the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members, she had little doubt that meeting with Chris in the early hours of the morning wasn't part of her assignment….

Chris brushed aside the curtains. The street was empty, no sign of Alex. The rain had picked up about an hour ago, turning from a clod drizzle into a freezing downpour. Absently, Chris hoped Alex was being carful…in case the roads were slick.

"Do you really think she's going to show up?" Jill asked, from the couch. "I mean, she does work for Umbrella."

"I hope she does." Chris sighed, as he let the curtains fall back into place. "She's been hanging around the station for what…over a week now?"

Jill nodded, returning her attention to a magazine laying in her lap. Chris had his suspicions about why Alex had been hanging around the station. He assumed she'd been sent by her employers to keep an eye on them. She got one helluva show, that was for sure.

Chris had been sent on a leave of absence as of the 1`5th, for continuing to rail against Umbrella. Thought he doubted popping Irons in the mouth during a press conference helped his career any. Not that it mattered much, he'd be leaving in a day or two and he needed Alex's help. That's if he could convince her to abandon her position with Umbrella.

The sound of a car pulling into his driveway made him stiffen. His hand slipped behind his back to clutch the 9mm he'd started carrying on him since the Spencer Incident. He pushed the curtains aside and relaxed slightly as Alex climbed out of her Buick and walked slowly toward the door. A second later, a soft yet firm, knock echoed in the small living room. Jill glanced up from her magazine, eyes darting to the front door. Barry inched out of the kitchen, his magnum clutched loosely in his hand. Chris walked to the door and pulled it open. Alex greeted him with a smile, water running down her face and her long black coat. They stood there, staring at each other for several seconds. Chris noticed she was wearing her sunglasses, despite the darkness outside. Alex cocked her head, her wet hair flopping lifelessly against her face.

"Can I come in, or do you intend to drown me out here?"

"Sorry, come in." Chris stepped aside. Alex flashed him a second smile and stepped into the living room. Her mood darkened slightly as she finally noticed Barry and Jill.

"Didn't know it was going to be a party."

"More like a meeting.", Jill said coolly, relaxing her grip on the berretta on her lap. "An important one."

Alex shrugged, pulling off her jacket. She looked around for a moment, before dropping it on a chair near the door. She wiped her wet hands on her jeans and flopped down in one of the chairs. Barry tucked his magnum behind his back and sat down next to Jill on the couch. Chris didn't miss the small bulge at Alex's side. The slightly damp black silk dress shirt she was wearing wasn't helping to hide it in the slightest, despite that fact is looked to be at least a size to big. Briefly, Chris wondered if it had at one time belonged to the Captain. Either way, as she shifted herself he saw the flash of a holster at her waist and assumed it was the berretta she always carried.

"So is there a reason you called me?"

Alex's voice was a bit cold, with a touch of anger to it. Jill shivered slightly. Chris understood why, Alex sounded eerily like her brother. Her gaze shifted from Jill to himself. Chris moved across the floor and sat down in a chair to her right.

"We…well I have a proposition for you."

"And what would that be?"

"I want your help, to stop Umbrella."

Chris watched her carefully, gauging her reaction. Alex seemed to think it over for a moment, then abruptly stood up and moved toward the door. Chris managed to intercept her, planting himself between the door and her. She looked up at him adjusting her glasses slightly. The small gesture reminded him so much of the Captain, it made him sick.

"Chris I would appreciate it if you move out of my way."

"Not until you've heard me out."

"There is nothing more to hear. You want to overthrow Umbrella. I work for Umbrella. I'm sure you can see the problem."

"Your brother didn't have a problem with betraying Umbrella."

"That was my brother, not me."

"Look Alex, you know things about Umbrella." Chris pleaded. "If you would just help us."

Chris hated to sound like he was begging, but they needed the help. They needed someone that knew how Umbrella ran, knew their ways…more importantly, knew their security system.

"No."

"Why?" It was the only thing Barry had said during the entire fiasco.

"I have my reasons"

"What, you enjoy killing innocent people?" The amazement in Jill's voice overran any anger their might have been.

"I've killed many things Miss Valentine. Hunters, zombies, some things you three have never even seen. "

"And you don't care on bit about the innocent people Umbrella has stepped on along the way, do you?" Chris couldn't keep the accusations out of his tone, no matter how hard he tried.

"I just clean up the messes and keep people alive."

"So what happened at the Mansion, drop the ball did we?" Jill seemed to take bit of enjoyment from Alex's discomfort.

"I don't know. I wasn't in charge of _that_ installation."

The way she said it, made Chris think there could be other labs in Raccoon.

"So I was right, there are other labs. Including one that is working on something called "G"

"Chris, you have been a busy boy." Alex finally pushed her glasses onto her head, looking him over with those piercing blue eyes. "However a word of advice. If you value your neck, you'll keep your nose away from anything having to do with the G-Virus. Now if you'll excuse me."

Alex moved past him, grabbed her coat from the chair, and reached for the door. Chris didn't really have an idea of what he was doing, until he spun around ,and grabbed her by the arm. A second later, he was looking down the barrel of a Desert Eagle. The bulge was still under her shirt, meaning she had apparently been carrying a second weapon he had not noticed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jill and Barry pull their respective weapons. Alex's eyes narrowed as she clicked back the hammer to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.

"Chris, I like you. That said, I don't want to know what your plans are. From the look of things…"She nodded toward a stack of papers on the table. "…you're leaving Raccoon. Smart move, as I've been keeping track of your movements for several days now. As of right now, neither I nor Umbrella have any idea where you are going or what you plan on doing. If you want it to stay that way, I suggest you leave me alone. ."

Alex lowered the weapon and slipped it back into her coat as she turned back to the door.

"You'll protect Chris, but you won't leave Umbrella, why?"

The confusion in Jill's voice was obvious. Alex stopped, but didn't turn.

"I want you to think about something very carefully. If I wasn't around to contain all those zombies and monsters do you realize how many people would be dead now? I haven't lost a single person I've been assigned to protect, nor have I ever lost a single installation that I was in charge of."

"That doesn't explain why you've been protecting Chris?" Barry asked, finally lowering his weapon.

"I wouldn't call it protecting. Yes, I've reported every movement that Chris and the rest of you have made." She shrugged. "Perhaps I haven't dug as deeply into his comings and goings as I could have."

"But why? If you feel that strongly about your job why risk it for me?"

Chris was thoroughly confused at this point. She talked about her position with Umbrella like he used to talk about his position in S.T.A.R.S., with pride. Why the hell would she risk it for him, when only seconds ago she was pointing a gun at his head.

"Because you remind me of Albert, before he worked for Umbrella." She pulled the door open and started to step back into the rain, but stopped again "If you do manage to bring down Umbrella I'll look forward to seeing you at my trial"

The door shut behind her with a soft click and a minute later they heard her car pulling out of the driveway.

"Do you think she'll say anything to Umbrella about this?" Jill asked, her tone going serious.

"No."

Chris wasn't sure of a great many things, but he was sure that Alex wouldn't say a word about what had happened…


	5. Reassignment

**September 27, 1998**

Alex climbed the steps of Raccoon Hospital and pushed open the door, Kent's office was on the third floor. He was officially listed as a hospital administrator, not a bad cover really. She threaded her way through the visitors and headed for the elevator. One quick trip later, and she found herself in Kent's waiting room. Angelic looked up as she walked toward the desk.

"Mr. Kent will see you in a few minutes." Angie smiled and gestured to several chairs. "Please have a seat while you wait."

Alex took a seat, wondering what the hell Kent could want from her this time. It had been a little over a month since Chris, Barry, and Rebecca had disappeared. She had gotten a fairly loud reprimand for that one, especially since Umbrella had no idea where they'd gone. However Jill and Brad were still in town and she'd been ordered to watch them. Brad wasn't doing anything more constructive than hiding and Jill was avoiding her as much as humanly possible.

Which was getting easier and easier to do with the murders going on. Instead of dying down the murders had escalated, making Alex suspect that something had gone wrong either at the labs or the disposal plant...maybe both

She looked up as the door to Kent's office opened .

"Ah Alex, please come in." Kent smiled and stepped aside.

Alex pulled herself to her feet and walked past him into the office. Bates was sitting in one of the chairs, looking nervous. She groaned softly and sat down next to him. Kent stepped away from the door and took a seat behind his desk.

"Well, I'm not going to beat around the bush here. There's been an accident."

Kent's voice was calm and serious. Bates let out a slight whimper.

"I assumed something was wrong. Even the reporters are starting to get suspicious, and there have been more and more reports of dead people simply wandering around the city." Alex frowned, her glasses slipping down slightly. "Was it the labs, or the disposal plant?"

"Actually, a bit of both." Kent leaned forwarded. "Birkin had to be eliminated. However, the operation did not go as planned. I'm afraid the T-Virus was leaked and the situation is now out of control."

"Eliminated?"

"Yes, our dear Dr. Birkin was becoming _difficult. _In fact, he was refusing to release the G-Virus to us. We were forced to send in Hunk and his team." Kent watched her reaction, while Bates continued to whimper. "Unfortunately, we were unable to recover a G-Virus sample."

Alex smiled then, a cold cruel smile, and glared at Kent. "So the whole S.T.A.R.S. assignment was just to get me out of the way."

Kent returned her gaze. "Yes."

"Mr. Kent, you could have ordered me to blow his brains out." Alex fixed Kent with a steely gaze, letting that part of herself that so resembled Albert fill her eyes. "I was perhaps the only person, except for Annette, that Birkin trusted. I know for a fact that I was the only security officer he allowed in his labs. One order and Birkin would have been dead, and you'd have your sample."

Kent seemed a bit taken back by this side of her and Bates was slowly trying to inch his chair as far away from her as he could get. She wasn't lying, she'd have had no regrets about killing Birkin. "We didn't realize that."

"Obviously." Alex's tone was cold and emotionless.

"We do have a job for you. We want you to enter the labs and recover a sample of the G-Virus and any data relating to it."

"Oh great, Hunk screws up and I get sent in to clean up the mess." Alex shook her head, not even bothering to hide the contempt in her voice.

"That's your job." Kent's voice was cool.

"I'll get your precious G-Virus." Alex stood up, and walked to the door.

"A word of advice, the labs are crawling with zombies and other T-Virus mutants. The city has almost run out of luck as well. Bates and I will be flying out of here tonight. I suggest you wait at least another day before you go into the labs."

Alex paused at the door, letting the words sink in. If she went now all the virus carries down there would be, for lack of a better term, fresh. Meaning more risk of T-Virus exposure. On the other hand, things could go from bad to worse in the city in the blink of an eye, meaning more risk on the streets. All this added up to trying to assess which was riskier, labs now with fresh undead and other possible threats or the streets of Raccoon City with a questionable amount of undead.

"I know what I'm doing."

Alex opened the door, and walked out of the office. Bates fidgeted slightly, then turned his attention to Kent.

"Do you think she can retrieve the virus?"

"Perhaps." Kent stood up, gathering several papers.

"Um, don't you think we should have told her about the plans for the U.B.C.S.?" Bates stood up, and followed Kent out of the office.

"No. Things will become apparent shortly. She'll retrieve the virus or die in the attempt. Either way it ought to give us some interesting data." Kent smiled and glanced at Bates. "Don't you agree?"

* * *

**September 29, 1998 **

Alex stared at the gun on the coffee table. The moans of the dead echoed in the streets outside her apartment. She'd known things had been bad two days ago, but she hadn't realized Raccoon's life expectancy had been so short. The cops hadn't stood a chance, neither had the U.B.C.S. that Umbrella had sent in to assist. Though she doubted that Umbrella had really sent them in as backup. Guinea pigs maybe, at least that was her guess. So what was her part in Umbrella's plan? Was she just another guinea pig, or was she really the only chance they had at a G-Virus sample? Somehow she had the feeling that Hunk hadn't failed his mission, at least not yet. However she had her orders, and she was going to accomplish her mission.

She stood up and walked into her bedroom. Her movements were slow and precise as she opened the closet and pulled out her uniform. Black combat pants, a blank tank top, and black combat shirt with her last name and Umbrella logo emblazoned across the left breast pocket. She stared at it for a few moments, before tossing the shirt on the floor. She dressed slowly finishing the ensemble with black combat boots.

She walked back into the living room and grabbed the Desert Eagle from the table along with her black shoulder holster. The irony of the color she wore was not lost on her, black had been Albert's favorite color. She added the berretta in a thigh holster.

She was not as heavily armed as she would have liked. Her magnum had a full eight round clip and one in the pipe. The berretta was loaded the same way. The magnum carried Teflon coated hollow points, the berretta 9mm parabelum rounds. Two full clips of the magnum rounds were in her shoulder rig and she had one in a thigh pocket of her pants. She had a total of four berretta clips in her utility belt, two frag grenades, and one flash grenade. She had to go through the RPD to reach the labs and she hoped to filch a bit more ammo or even another gun from there.

Alex also grabbed a small leather bound book off of her bookshelf. Her journal, along with three pictures. One was the picture she'd grabbed off of Albert's desk, one was the picture Chris had given her, and the third was a picture she'd had since she was 10. She flopped the book open and stared at that picture for a moment, despite the fact that she didn't have the time. She was laughing, her arms around Albert's neck. Albert had a hold of one of her wrists, his smile happy and genuine. She flipped the book closed and slipped it into her back pocket. That happy incident had taken place eleven years ago, before Umbrella had entered their lives.

The last thing she grabbed was Albert's shield. The moment she'd seen it laying in that desk drawer, she knew he hadn't planned on coming back from the mansion. She slipped that into another pocket and picked up the utility bag. She opened the door, taking one last look around the apartment. Her eyes immediately fell on Chris' coat, the one he'd slipped over her shoulders at the cemetery. She started to turn away , but something stopped her. Two swift strides and she had the jacket in her hands. She slipped it on, pushing the sleeves above her elbows.

"Enough. Time to go."

The door clicked closed.

Alex's footsteps echoed in the hallway as she left her apartment and life in Raccoon City behind…forever…


	6. The Plot Thickens

Alex leaned against the wall of the bookstore, mentally ticking off how many bullets were left in the berretta. Counting the last zombie she'd just shot, she had five. Not bad considering she'd just walked from her apartment to the R.P.D. Which left her with two more full clips, a total of 16 shots. Worse than she would have liked, but better than she'd expected.

She took a deep breath and inched around the wall. There were several cars lying abandoned in the street and the fire hydrant in front other bookstore was gushing water all over the place. But considering the condition of the previous streets she'd run through, it looked pretty good. Especially compared to the police roadblock on Main.

The police had tried their best to retake the city and failed miserably at it. Hell, she hadn't even been able to salvage anything good. She'd also found the remains of some U.B.C.S. agents as well. That explained the choppers she'd heard during the fighting.

She shook her head and stepped away from the wall. She had a job to do, get into the labs, get a sample of the virus, and get out of town. Simple and easy, with about a hundred things that could go wrong in the process. One of which happened to be standing in front of the R.P.D. Jill Valentine had been avoiding her since the little meeting. Alex seriously doubted that Jill would let her do her job. Ales sighed heavily, trying to think of a back way into the station, when the large gate creaked open.

"Brad puts in an appearance."

He looked terrible and he was hurt, at least judging from the way he was holding his side. Suddenly a large brutish looking creature appeared on the scene. Alex took an involuntary step back as the creature grabbed him in one meaty hand and lifted him off the ground like he weighed little more than a feather.

Unconsciously, Alex traded in the berretta for the magnum. She had no idea how she was going to stop that thing, but she had to try. After all, she had known Brad since he'd first moved to Raccoon when she was sixteen. He as a wimp, true, and maybe even partially responsible for Albert's death. But, he was still a friend and she couldn't turn her back on him. However, before she could move, a tentacle suddenly shot through the back of Brad's head. His body spasemed for a few seconds then fell still. The creature tossed the body away and turned its attention to Jill.

"starrrrsss"

Alex was momentarily paralyzed, until she realized what that thing was. She also realized that if it killed Jill it would be left without a directive. Alex wasn't as emotionally attached to Jill, as she had been the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. team. She'd only been in Raccoon for about two months. The others, with the exception of Rebecca, had been in Raccoon for years. Truth be told, she hadn't' really liked the woman from the start and identified more with Rebecca, who had only been in Raccoon for a few weeks, rather than Jill.

So Alex could easily look at Jill as an object. Meaning if she kept Jill alive Alex wouldn't have to worry about that thing trying to kill her. Without a second thought she ran toward the gates, getting thoroughly soaked in the process. She pulled the flash bang from behind her back and let her sunglasses fall over her eyes.

"Jill! DOWN!"

She threw the grenade, just as she pushed the gates open with a loud clang. The monster turned, directing it's attention at the new visitor. A second later the grenade went off. Alex ran past the now blinded monster and grabbed Jill by the arm, hauling her inside the building. It only took a few seconds for her to find something to jam the doors with.

"There, you're safe for now." Alex then turned to the eastern door. "Bye"

"Hey wait!" Jill yelled, trailing after her.

Alex ignored her and tried the door. Unlocked, but it still wouldn't budge.

"Great barricaded, just what I needed."

"Alex, we need to talk."

Alex continued to ignore her, looking around for something she could use as a battering ram. She finally spotted a small metal stand, the kind that had those little felt ropes hanging off of it. She disconnected the rope and hauled it over to the door. Jill watched her every move, a confused look on her face.

"Alex!" Jill was finally at her breaking point. " We…need…to…talk!"

"About what?"

"Oh geez, let me think." Jill tapped her index finger lightly against her chin. "How about that giant trench coat wearing freak that just killed Brad?"

"It's called Nemesis. It's an advanced prototype of the Tyrant." Alex continued her pounding. The door had budged a little so it looked to be working.

"Tyrant?" Recognition crossed Jill's face. "You mean like that monstrosity at the mansion?"

"Yes" The door budged a few more inches, but her battering ram also fell apart. "Although the Tyrant at the mansion was the original prototype. They are more advanced now, that's why they were planning on destroying it."

"More advanced? What exactly are those things for?"

"Please stop screaming, I am in the same room you know." Alex shook her head and turned back to her door. "The Tyrant is a bloodhound, programmed to seek out a single target. The Nemesis is an advanced form of Tyrant, able to seek out multiple targets. And, at least from what information I've read, it is also able to use firearms. Which would explain that nifty new rocket launcher it was carrying."

"You have got to be kidding?" Jill looked ready to be sick or pass out, maybe both.

"Not at all. That seven foot killing machine is programmed to hunt down its targets and dispose of them." Alex slammed her shoulder into the door. "Apparently the S.T.A.R.S. team is it's target. So I guess you're pretty much screwed."

"You don't give a damn about anything do you?" Jill sounded pissed.

Alex shrugged, slamming into the door again. "Look honey, I got things to do. You wanna live, outrun it. Otherwise, you're as good as dead. And no, I don't really give a damn either way." Another good slam and she managed to dislodge the large table that had been blocking the door.

"Why the hell did you save me?" Now she sounded confused. "Wouldn't it be better for Umbrella if I was out of the picture? Isn't that why they sent that bastard after me in the first place?"

"As long as you're alive it has something to chase. It won't bother me for two reasons. One, I'm not a S.T.A.R.S. member. And two, I'm not going to stick around and get between you and it." Alex then turned and gave Jill a rather sardonic smile. "So do me a favor and stay alive for a while."

"I used to think you were a good person, especially after the things you said at that meeting. But I was wrong, you are just like your brother." Jill then spun around and marched toward the western doors.

Alex breathed a sigh of relief as the door slammed shut. Now that Jill was out of the way, she could get down to business.

* * *

**Ten minutes later…**

The way to the armory had been clear and there were no more barricaded doors. After a good ten minutes of playing with the breaker box, she had finally managed to get power to the card reader. She pulled the small journal out of her back pocket and fished out a small security card. She swiped the card and door clicked open.

"Alright, finally things go my way."

She stepped inside, took one look around, and knew she had been wrong.

"Or not…"

The place appeared to have been raided some time ago. Ten minutes worth of digging did give her two more berretta clips, a police issue shotgun complete with six rounds, an over the shoulder rig for the shotgun and utility bag. She wasn't sure how much use it be, but she took it anyway.

She got the shotgun rig positioned and walked back into the corridor. She opened the door to the Kennel carefully, because even through the heavy metal door she could hear the sound of barking dogs. Luckily the dogs were still locked up. The manhole was near the back, the opener laying on the floor near it. A little strenuous labor and the cover came off. She climbed into the small dank sewer.

The water swished around her shins as she moved forward. Something down here was strange. Several body parts floated around in the water, but that wasn't what was bothering her. Suddenly there was a loud splash. Alex turned the corner and found herself face to face with the single biggest spider she'd ever seen. She fired two shots, ran past the scrambling spider and up the concrete stairs to the hallway.

She quickly bypassed the chessboard puzzle and slipped through the door. Anther sewer and three more spiders, but she finally found the medallion door. She also found several members of the recovery team. A quick check told her none of them was Hunk. She bypassed the security lock and headed toward the tram. Just a little longer, and she'd have her virus sample and she could get the hell out of here…


	7. Into Hell

Alex slammed the drawer shut and stood up. There was nothing left in Bate's office worth taking. She suspected that it might have been raided, especially after seeing the zombies wandering around the elevator room. She sighed and stepped back outside. She glanced at the train sitting atop the platform elevator, then turned her head and glanced at the emergency elevator. She'd have to head for the synthesis lab, which meant that she would probably run into more of her former co-workers. Her eyes shifted to the zombie that lay in front of the emergency elevator. If it hadn't been for the uniform, she never would have recognized Keith.

"This is worse than I imagined." she mumbled, heading through to her left.

She moved carefully across the catwalk, well aware that she was an easy target in this large open space. Quickly she made a right, at the red lighted doorway, headed across the second catwalk then through the door.

She had to head to B5. Ordinarily it would be a simple trip, but the moment she saw the closed shutter, she knew things were worse down here than she had originally thought. Which only reaffirmed her decision to wait a couple days to enter the labs. The emergency shutters only closed in the event of a Level 3 Outbreak. A Level 3 meant more than zombies were running loose, a prospect that did not reassure Alex in the slightest. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the magnum and switched it to her left hand, before slapping the shutter with her right.

The shutter railed and Alex's worst fears were confirmed, the plant subjects had escaped their labs. The Plant 43's, created after analyzing the data from the Plant 42 project at the Spencer mansion, were still in their original forms. Alex was relieved to see that no one had tried the experimental P-E gas on them. If they had, she might have had even more of an issue. As it was, they were blocking her way. She knew form lab reports, that a gun wasn't really going to do her much good…even loaded with hollow points.

She retreated down the hall. Keeping a close eye on the plants, she hit a nearby key pad. Blessedly the room was empty of any threats. Excluding, of course, the plant tendrils flapping around in the air vent. She ignored them, just as she ignored the dead lab tech on the floor. She slid the magnum back into the shoulder rig, as she opened one of the biohazard lockers.

The lockers had been her idea and despite Bates' bitching, they had been installed. Their purpose was simple, in the event of an outbreak they unlocked giving techs or security personnel access to the guns, ammo, anything else they might need to contain said outbreak. Alex was relived to see that a least on of the lockers was unpillaged. She yanked the door open and her eyes brightened behind her dark sunglasses. Sitting inside, in all its pristine glory, was a fully fueled flamethrower. Her one contribution to the Plant 43 project, a flamethrower specifically designed to combat the Ivy's and other Plant 43 hybrids.

"Time for a bit of gardening."

Alex stepped back into the hallway, pleas to see the Ivies hadn't moved an inch. She stepped forward, pulling the flamethrower's heavy trigger. Flame shot out, hitting the first Ivy dead center of its bulbuls head, which looked more like an open flower than anything else. It writhed, swiging its vines wildly and emitted a high hissing sound, like escaping gas, as it toppled to the floor. Without missing a beat, Alex turned slightly and hosed the second Ivy. It went down as easily as the first.

Moving quickly, she stepped around the two dead plants and opened the door to the main shaft. She was unsurprised to see an Ivy waiting patiently for her by the ladder. A split second before the Ivy could spit, Alex fired it. She stepped around the still dying plant and climbed down the ladder to the platform below.

The vines climbing up the shaft did not escape her notice, but she had a limited supply of fuel and the vines had made no move to do her any harm. Therefore, she ignored them completely. After all, she had a mission, one the did not include the eradication biohazardous threats in the labs. Her only directive was to get a G-Virus sample and once she reached the synthesis lab that part of her mission would be completed.

* * *

Annette Birkin watched the monitor carefully from her location in the upper security room. She recognized the intruder immediately, after all hadn't the girl been with William from the beginning? Hadn't she assisted in the Tyrant program and later been reassigned when William and herself had begun work here?

Oh yes, Annette recognized Captain Alexandra Wesker and she knew precisely why she was roaming the labs, killing anything that got in her way. She was after a sample of William's greatest achievement. Captain Wesker wanted the G-Virus.

Annette patted the left pocket of her lab coat, an insane smile spreading across her face. Umbrella had tried to get it from William two days ago. They had succeeded only in forcing her husband to inject himself with hi work, thus creating the monster that now roamed the sewers. She now had the final sample safely in her possession and the traitor's sister would never get her hands on it…never…

* * *

Alex slammed her hands on the table, feeling stupid. She had hoped there would be a sample in the synthesis lab, but she'd been wrong. Now, she'd have to head back to level B-4 and to Birkin's personal lab. It wouldn't be easy, the flamethrower was empty and lay discarded in a previous hallway. The five dead zombies scattered about the lab and the six dead in the monitor room had severely cut into her Beretta ammo, leaving her three full clips and two rounds in the gun itself…for a grand total of twenty-six shots. The magnum was down by three, thanks to a licker dropping from the ceiling in a previous hallway.

Of course she had little choice in the matter, Birkin's lab was her last chance for a sample. Alex didn't bother to dwell on what would happen if Birkin's lab held no sample, she'd cross that bridge in and when she came to it.

* * *

Annette ran across the catwalk heading for her own lab in the eastern area. She had underestimated Wesker. She had thought the Umbrella lap dog would cease her search after discovering the virus was not in the synthesis lab. Annette had been wrong and knew it the moment the girl had headed back toward the main catwalk and turned down the last of the three available routes through the lab complex.

The Umbrella scum was heading to William's lab, she was positive. Well, Annette would be waiting in her own lab. Once Captain Wesker discovered William's lab empty she would undoubtedly turn to that lab next…and Annette would be ready to welcome her.

* * *

Alex finally made it to the main lab area. She opened the shutter and walked to the security reader. It required the fingerprints of two people. Unless of course you were William Birkin or herself. She entered her thumb print, and security code. There was a soft click as the door unlocked.

Alex grimaced at the sight that greeted her. Bullet holes perforated the small lab table and blood was splattered across the floor. It appeared this was where Birkin had met his end, but she didn't see any signs of a body. She did see signs of something massive wreaking havoc in here though, the floor was littered with papers and shattered lab equipment.

Alex sifted through the wreckage, her hope at finding a sample fading with every second. Finally way back under the counter and covered by debris, she found a small metallic case about the size of a pencil box. She pulled it out and snapped it open. Inside lay a vile of purplish liquid with a small tag on it labeled "G-Sample 12". She smiled and stuffed the sample into her bag. A few more seconds and she'd grabbed as many files labeled "G" as she could find. They too found a place in her bag. Finally she dusted herself off and headed out the door. It was back to the emergency elevator, then down to the train, and finally out of the city.

* * *

Annette still sat waiting in her lab. But she was growing concerned. Did she indeed have the last virus sample? What if she'd missed one in William's lab? Her eyes widened as the soft sound of footsteps moved passed her continued moving farther away from the labs.

"No!"

She jumped to her feet and scrambled out the door.

* * *

Alex moved cautiously across the catwalk, heading back toward the door to the platform elevator. She had just reached said door when a shot rang out, echoing loudly. Alex gritted her teeth, as her left leg buckled.

"You can't have it!"

Alex immediately recognized the voice of Annette Birkin. She also recognized that the woman had completely lost her mind. Alex pushed herself against the railing, trying for as much cover as possible. She had never cared for the openness of this area and had argued it was perfect for an ambush. From the look of things she had been correct.

Alex fired several shots of her own, as she awkwardly pulled herself to her feet. Her leg was on fire, as blood streamed from a wound in her upper thigh. Annette ducked behind the fuse mechanism, firing back. Alex slipped through the door , shots ricocheting off the door frame. She took a few seconds to tie a bandage around her leg. It was a clean hit going straight through, but it still hurt like hell. She limped to the emergency elevator, pulling the key from her pocket.

"Son of a bitch!"

Alex slammed a hand against the now power dead elevator, cursing Annette to hell and back. She must have cut the power at some point. Alex leaned against the wall, considering her only two options. Go back through the labs and figure out where Annette had hidden the fuse. Go back through the sewers and into Raccoon itself.

Either choice, was risky. Annette could have hidden the fuse anywhere, not to mention cutting power directly. Alex certainly didn't have an M.O. disk to get into the C-2 hanger where the second elevator was located. That too could be stashed anywhere in the labs. Not to mention Annette running around with a gun. That left her heading back up to the R.P.D. and the streets of Raccoon City. She sighed, running a hand across her face. It appeared she would have to take the long way out of the city…


	8. An Ally

Alex limped down the hallway, the faint tinkling of broken glass echoing as she walked. She'd managed to drag herself back to the station without too much trouble and she had the virus, so the trip hadn't been a complete loss. Although running from those spiders had been a chore, especially the ones in the access tunnel below the kennel. Annette had better pray that Alex never got a hold of her.

She stumbled, grimacing slightly at the pain that rushed up her leg. She had to try and get to the S.T.A.R.S. office, she knew for a fact that there was a med kit there. Hopefully Jill had left the station and taken her _little friend _from Europe with her. The leg hurt like hell and even if the wound wasn't life threatening, the smell of blood would draw every zombie in the city down on her like a pack of rabid dogs. Not a really pretty thought.

Alex gently eased the door open and scanned the lobby. It appeared to be empty and the entrance doors were still in one piece.

"I hope that means Jill left, cause there is no way I can handle Nemesis right now."

Alex limped across the lobby, heading for the western doors. Jill had headed this way earlier, with any luck she'd killed any zombies that might have been running around. Alex was just reaching for the door handle when a soft scraping noise caught her attention. She pulled the berretta, turning in the direction of the noise. Her right hand hovered over the magnum, just in case whatever was making the noises was bigger than a zombie. There was another scraping sound and a tall dark haired man in a R.P.D. uniform came down the ramp. Alex drew a bead on the man's head as he stopped a few feet away from her.

"I'm not a zombie." He held up his hands, with what looked to be a 45 auto dangling from one of his fingers.

"I didn't think you were." Alex said coldly, not bothering to lower the weapon. "Who are you?"

"Kevin Ryman, I'm with the R.P.D."

"Oh gee, I never would have figured that one out all on my own." Her voice was heavy with sarcasm. "How did you manage to survive the last stand on Main?"

"I wasn't on duty." His voice had turned colder at this point. "Who, may I ask, are you?"

"Alexandra Wesker."

Her response elicited the reaction she was expecting. First surprise then scorn passed over Kevin's face. Finally his eyes narrowed.

"So you're the sister of the ex-S.T.A.R.S. Captain. Should have known, what with the sunglasses." He looked her over for a moment, then rested his gaze back on her face. "I've heard of you, figured you'd be older though."

"I get that a lot."

"Do you know you're bleeding?" The first hints of concern entered his voice.

"Getting shot will do that to you." Alex finally lowered the gun.

Hold a gun the way she was for too long and your arm would start shaking, which certainly wouldn't look impressive to young Mr. Ryman. Of Course Kevin looked more pissed than impressed at the moment, not that she cared much at this point. So, doing a repeat of her earlier conversation with Jill, she turned back to the door and grabbed the handle.

"It's true, isn't it?"

"What the hell do you think? I mean hello, there are zombies running around outside." She shook her head, the guy couldn't be that stupid. "So yea, it's a pretty safe bet that the S.T.A.R.S. members were telling the truth."

"About your brother as well?"

"My brother is none of your concern."

"I'll take that as a yes." He said, crossing his arms. "So, judging from the tank top, you work for Umbrella too?"

"Look Mr. R.P.D. officer, I don't have time to play question and answer with you right now."

There was a soft click from behind her, the unmistakable sound of a firearm being cocked. Alex turned around slowly, to find herself staring at Kevin's 45. The weapon was an automatic so it obviously didn't need to be cocked to fire, that had been a warning. Kevin smiled.

"Make time."

"Fine, I work for Umbrella. Can I go now?"

"Only if I can escort you." He said, lowering the weapon.

"Why in the hell do you want to help me? Or the better question would be, why the hell would I need your help?"

"Well, I am probably the last surviving R.P.D. officer in the city and it wouldn't look good to just leave you stranded without trying to help." Kevin glanced down at the small puddle of blood forming around Alex's shoe. "Not to mention you're going to have a hard time fending off zombies with a wound like that."

As much as Alex hated to admit it, he had a point. She rubbed at the bridge of her nose, maybe she could lose him somewhere out in the city later.

"Fine, but I need to head to the S.T.A.R.S. office for a med pack."

"Well, why not just use the one under the reception desk." Kevin hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "Not quit so far to walk…or in your case limp."

Kevin smiled again, and walked back up the ramp. One shot and she could take him out. Not only would she not have to worry about him following her around, but she could have is gun and ammo too. Her left hand fluttered over the berretta. It could be quick and clean, probably save him a messy death later on from a zombie or some other monster.

She sighed, moving her hand away from the gun. Alex was a cool calculating bitch at times, but she did have a sense of honor. She couldn't shoot a man in the back. Besides, she had a deep respect for cops, especially after having worked at the R.P.D. for two years.

She'd let Kevin tag along, she'd let him help her. But, she still had a job to do. The virus had to be delivered to Umbrella, along with the notes. She was loyal, and unlike her brother honor and loyalty meant something to her. She had given her word, and she would not break it.

"Hey, you coming or what?" Kevin yelled, waving a first aide box over his head.

"Me and my fucking morals." She whispered under her breath, and trudged up the ramp.


	9. City Of Death

Alex limped out of the station, Kevin only a step or two behind her. She had to admit that he had done a rather good job patching up her leg. The bleeding had stopped and the aspirin had helped quite a bit with the pain. In fact, the limp wasn't quite as bad as before.

Now the only thing they had to do was get the hell out of this death trap. As Alex looked across the city, she realized that was easier said then done. The R.P.D. was more or less in the center of the city and Raccoon was not exactly small. Kevin too was staring out at the darkened streets.

"Well, what do you think?"

"I think we'd have more chance of surviving a plane crash, then making it out of this city alive."

"My but you are such an optimist." The statement was thick with sarcasm.

"No, I'm a realist. I mean, take a good look." Alex swept her arm in wide ark. "The city is crawling with zombies, not to mention whatever else might have escaped the labs. The streets are a maze of wrecked cars, trucks, hell even destroyed buildings. Place looks like Poland after the _Blitzkrieg*_."

Raccoon looked like a war zone, not the thriving metropolis it had been only days before. Any chance of escape would depend on avoiding anything tougher than a zombie or maybe a licker, accurate shooting, and a hell of a lot a luck. So far luck had certainly not been on Alex's side.

"I suppose the quickest route is the straightest." Kevin said, pushing open the large iron gate.

"It's usually the most dangerous as well." Alex mumbled, pulling out her berretta.

Alex moved past the bookstore. Had it only been eight hours since she'd been standing in that alley? Hell, it had only been a few days ago that the city had still been intact, a few weeks ago since she'd last seen Chris, and only a little over a month ago since her brother had been killed. So why then did it feel like years since she had run through those gates and saved Jill's life?

"Hey, Alex, you hear that?"

Alex cocked her head, listening. "Bells?"

"I think it's coming from the Clock Tower." Kevin pointed to a tall building in the distance.

The Saint Michael Clock Tower, it had long been a city landmark. But Alex couldn't ever remember hearing the bells before.

"You do realize that someone has to be ringing them." Alex said, thoughtfully.

"I also realize that someone is flying that chopper there."

Alex snapped her head toward where Kevin was pointing. Sure enough a large black chopper was making it's way to the Clock Tower.

"Kevin, you got a radio right?"

"Yea." Kevin pulled a small black police radio from his belt. "But what…."

"Give it here!" Alex snatched the radio out of his hands, and clicked through the channels. She had a good idea that the chopper was on of Umbrella's. After finding the right channel, she depressed the talk button. "This is Head of Security…Umbrella Main labs…Captain Alexandra Wesker…please respond…over!"

"_Flight 401...U.B.C.S. pickup chopper…over."_

"What is your destination…over."

"_Proceeding to Saint Michael Clock Tower…ETA 2 minutes…over."_

Alex was overjoyed, this was the break she'd been looking for. She grabbed Kevin by the arm, and broke into a run. The Clock Tower was four blocks away, at a dead run they should be able to make it there in ten to fifteen minutes.

"Please hold position at Clock Tower…repeat…hold your position at the clock tower until my arrival…over!"

"_Understood…will hold…HOLY SHIT…"_

Alex came to a dead stop, staring in disbelief as the chopper swung out of control. Someone had fired on it with a large caliber anti-aircraft missile. She gripped the radio tightly in her hand, only one person could have done this, would have had the right weaponry…Nemesis. The chopper swung into the clock tower and then crashed to the ground in a fiery explosion.

"Come on!" Kevin grabbed her arm, and pulled her down the street. "Someone rung those bells remember, their might be survivors!"

Alex ran after him, seriously doubting they would find anyone still alive. They ran through several roadblocks and killed more than a few zombies, before reaching the Clock Tower. Alex slowed to a stop, looking at the destruction. The chopper lay in a fiery heap to the left of the main yard. Part of the building had collapsed and now lay strewn about the yard and street. The entire area was ringed in fire.

"Shit, how the hell do we get in there?" Kevin looked around, searching for a way around the flames.

"There." Alex pointed to several pieces of the clock Tower itself. "We could climb up and over the debris."

It took two tries before Alex was finally able to climb over the debris and into the yard. She held her berretta ready, surveying the area. Stones from the Clock Tower's upper level lay strewn around, along with small fires. Leaning against the yard's fountain appeared to be a young man. Alex lifted the gun as he moaned softly and opened his eyes.

"Who the hell are you people?" The accent and look said South American. As he got to his feet, Alex noted the U.B.C.S. symbol on the back of his vest. "Where's Jill?"

"Name's Alexandra." Alex slowly lowered the gun. No wonder Nemesis had been here, Jill was still alive. Well, at least she had been up till now anyway.

"Hey Alex, over here!"

Alex turned and walked to where Kevin was kneeling. As she got closer she saw the body of Jill Valentine.

"She dead?" Alex voice was devoid of emotion.

"Not yet, but I think she's infected."

Alex kneeled down to examine the arm Kevin was holding up. Jill's right upper shoulder appeared to have been punctured by something, and a small patch of the skin had turned a sickly shade of green.

"She's infected." Alex looked toward the U.B.C.S. agent. "What happened?"

"That Nemesis thing attacked her. I tired to stop it, but all I managed to do was destroy the rocket launcher." He staggered over, holding his side. "Is she gonna turn into one of those zombies?"

Alex slowly nodded. "If we don't get the anti-virus she will."

Both Kevin and the young U.B.C.S agent stared at her. Kevin started to say something, when a zombie suddenly lurched out of the flames to Alex's left. Alex tried to turn, but her leg gave out and the zombie latched onto her right arm, causing her to drop the berretta. She screamed as the zombie bite into her arm, tearing into skin and muscle.

"Get this fucker off!"

The sound of Kevin's 45 echoed loudly in the small yard and was quickly joined by a short burst of fire from the U.B.C.S. agent's M4A1 assault rifle. The zombie fell backwards into the fire and Alex quickly pushed herself away, holding her now bleeding arm.

"Shit, that hurts." She mumbled, examining the wound.

"I guess that means your infected now." Kevin's tone was flat.

"It does, but fortunately for me I'm immune to the effects of the T-Virus." Alex slowly got to her feet, still cradling her arm. "Look we'll talk about this later. First, let's find somewhere safe."

"There's a chapel inside, only three windows and one door." The Agent said, hooking a thumb over his shoulder. "The windows are stained glass, so you can't easily see anything inside."

"That's perfect. Kevin, grab Jill."

Kevin hoisted Jill over his shoulder and they followed the U.B.C.S. agent into the Clock tower and to the chapel. Kevin laid Jill down on the alter and Alex quickly shrugged out of Chris' jacket, placing it under Jill's head. She then pulled the first aide kit, they'd grabbed from the station, out of her bag and proceeded to clean up her arm.

"So what is your name anyway?" Kevin asked.

"Carlos…Carlos Oliveria." He smiled a bit, then looked toward Alex. "Now, what is this you were saying about an anti-virus?"

Alex didn't bother to look up from her work, as she spoke. "Umbrella ordered work to be done on an anti-virus in case of another outbreak like the one at the Arklay facility." Alex finished tying the bandage on her arm, and looked up. "I'm not sure how far they got, but I do know they have at least one dose of the at the Raccoon City Hospital."


	10. The Plan

Alex leaned against the wall, waiting patiently for Carlos and Kevin to shift a large bell away from the back door. She glanced at a nearby portrait, which hung on the wall to her right. They looked more like clocks than paintings. Alex dimly remembered seeing a postcard which had the same painting on it. Beneath each picture was a tray which held a medium sized ball. Alex was no art critic, to be sure, but those things were appalling.

"Alright, are you ready?" Kevin looked at Alex expectantly.

"Always." Alex said with a half smile, stepping away from the wall.

"You know, this is a really stupid idea." Carlos had voiced this same opinion three times since the plan had first been laid out. "How in the hell do you plan on defending yourself while in handcuffs?"

Alex sighed, rolling her shoulders a bit to loosen them. The handcuffs holding her hands behind her back clinked at the motion. She'd been stripped of her weapons, both holsters, and the bag as well. This left her pretty much defenseless, with the exception of her combat knife tucked in her boot. In retrospect, Alex couldn't help but agree that this wasn't the brightest of ideas, but it was the best she could come up with.

"Look Sparky, I can't be seen helping you guys." Alex sighed, walking around Carlos to the back door. "Umbrella is going to download all the information off every company computer in this city. All the surveillance cameras in the hospital feed into it's main computer. And what does that mean boys?"

"That if you aren't handcuffed Umbrella will know you helped us voluntarily, if it looks like we forced you, you're in the clear." Kevin repeated her plan back in a rather monotone voice.

"Very good, have a cookie." Alex's smile slipped a bit, as she turned toward the door. "Let's just get this over with."

"I still think this is the stupidest plan I have ever heard of." Carlos mumbled, pushing the door open and leading the way outside.

The hospital was more of less a block from the Clock Tower. And within that block Alex felt defenseless and vulnerable. A position she hadn't been in since her parents had died when she was thirteen. She shuddered moving a bit closer to Carlos as they walked, single file, down the blessedly empty street. Less than two minutes later, the three stood before the main doors of the hospital.

"Open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and in case of emergency." Carlos looked up from the sign then glanced around the empty street. "I think this definitely constitutes an emergency."

"I would have to agree with you on that one." Kevin too was glancing down the street.

"Enough with the sight-seeing boys, we have things to do." Alex rolled her shoulders again, and cracked her neck.

"Yea…." Kevin then shoved Alex through the open doors, as Carlos carefully scanned the lobby.

The place was a mess, trash cans and ashtrays turned over and lying on the floor. Looked like the hospital hadn't escaped the outbreak unscathed, nor had Alex expected it to. She only saw two bodies in the lobby and from the wounds, they didn't look like they would be getting up any time soon.

"Which way?" Carlos turned, pointing the assault rifle toward Alex, plastering a rather angry look on his face.

"That way, through the office." Alex inclined her head to the right, a look of disdain covering her face. "There's an elevator. The virus can only be one of two places. Dr. William's office or patient's room 402. Both are on the fourth floor."

Kevin nodded, prodding Alex into the elevator with his .45. Thankfully he had the safety on, not that the security camera would be able to tell. The elevator ride was slow and not especially comfortable. Though it was an act, Alex still felt like the enemy here and for one fleeting moment she wondered if Kevin and Carlos would still take the handcuffs off when all this was said and done.

Her head snapped up as the elevator came to a stop on the fourth floor. Carlos took the lead again, as Kevin gave her a rather harsh shove out of the elevator, which in turn, caused her to stumble.

"Now what?" Carlos turned to look at Alex.

"I suppose would should split up." Alex looked around the desolate hallway, trying to remember where they needed to go. "Kevin take that hallway to the left, last room on the left. Carlos, you and I go straight ahead all the way to the end."

"What am I looking for?" Kevin asked, glancing down the hall.

"If it isn't lying around anywhere, look for a wall safe. It should have a painting hanging over it of the Arklay Mountains."

Kevin nodded and headed to the left. Carlos prodded her with the assault rifle, herding her down the hall to Dr. Williams' office. They stopped at the door and Carlos pushed it open for her. She stepped through just as a shot rang out. She froze, eyes searching. A second later a tall man with short blonde hair stepped from behind a set of shelves. He was wearing the same U.B.C.S. uniform as Carlos. Alex had never met the man, but she recognized him none the less. Albert hadn't been the only one working for Umbrella that had a bit of a reputation.

"Well, Carlos…" The man's accent was thick and Russian.

"Nicholai. Jill said you were killed during the explosion at the gas station."

Alex stood stock still. Her gut told her something was wrong, and she had long sense learned to listen to her gut instincts. Not to mention, that everything she's heard about Nicholai told her not to trust him. Nicholas's eyes shifted to stare at her.

"Well, well, Miss Wesker. Apparently Kent was wrong about how good you were. Women are not made for combat it seems." He then shifted his gaze back to Carlos. "You seem to be picking up women by the dozen, Carlos."

"It's the accent." Carlos' tone was clipped. It appeared he trusted Nicholai no more than Alex did.

"You're not going anywhere…TRAITOR!"

The voice screaming the threat was unfamiliar to Alex, but the metallic click of a pin being removed certainly was. Alex stepped sideways and dove under a desk to her left, as a grenade exploded throwing Nicholai out a nearby window. Alex coughed as the smoke cleared and crawled from her hiding place. She leaned against the desk as Carlos inspected what was left of the cubby hole Nicholai had emerged from when they'd first entered.

"Tyrell Patrick, smart guy."

Alex shrugged. "Maybe he found out something he shouldn't have."

Carlos turned slightly his face a mask of anger, yet underneath it was clearly sad and somewhat scared.

"You are cold lady."

"You have to be, to survive working for Umbrella." Alex pushed away from the desk. "Is the anti-virus in the wall safe?"

"No."

At that moment the door burst open, producing a very flustered Kevin. He scanned the room and slowly lowered his .45.

"What in the hell happened in here?"

"Grenade." Alex shrugged as if the whole idea of a grenade blowing up, only three feet from her, was no big deal.

"A grenade?" Kevin looked slightly confused, but soon gained his composure. "I found the safe, but I can't get it open."

Carlos stepped away from the shelving and grabbed Alex by the arm, a bit more roughly than was necessary as far as Alex was concerned. Acting was one thing…Carlos was pissed.

"I'm sure little Miss Wesker here knows the combo to get it open."

Kevin lead the way back to room 402. The room was clean, in fact it looked perfectly normal. Except for the painting leaning against the wall below the safe, you would never have known there was anything special about this room. Kevin stepped aside as Carlos pushed Alex toward the freeze locker.

"Open it."

Alex ignored the anger clearly evident in Carlos' voice and examined the locker. It needed a three digit code to open. She closed her eyes, thinking. She knew the code, Kent had given it to her for one of those _just in case_ scenarios, all she had to do was remember it. Kevin stepped up beside her, fingering the number panel.

"531."

She heard him softly tap the digit panel and then heard the, ever so disheartening, sound of the code being wrong. Carlos took two swift steps forward and spun her around, shoving the assault rifle against her throat.

"What is the fucking code?"

Alex opened her eyes, letting them fill with a type of anger that Carlos could never imitate. She didn't yell and she didn't scream, she merely recited a second set of numbers.

"104." .

Kevin tried the code, and the locker's door slowly swung open. Alex tilted her head a bit, the look in her eyes still clearly evident.

"Will you kindly take that gun off my throat?"

It wasn't a request, even if it was worded as such. Carlos stepped back carefully, his eyes going a bit wide. Neither said a word as Kevin pulled a small vile from the locker.

"What is a Vaccine Base?" Kevin looked at Alex, even as she stared at Carlos.

"That was the only thing in there?" She didn't sound surprised.

"Yea."

"Then we have to go to level B3. There will be a Vaccine Medium in William's lab or at least a medium base. Either way that's where we have to go."

"This is turning into a damn nightmare." Carlos mumbled, walking back into the hallway. He glanced behind at Alex as they entered the elevator. "I'm sorry for losing my temper."

Alex nodded, not bothering to say a word. He was worried about Jill, that was clear, and his nerves were frayed. Anyone in his position would probably have acted the same way. Even Alex, if the roles were reversed and it was Albert laying in the chapel dying and not Jill.

The elevator halted, and the doors opened. From what little Alex could see, around Carlos' broad shoulders, it appeared clean. The three of them stepped into the hallway and moved cautiously toward the lab. Carlos pushed the door open and Alex could see the room was in severe disarray. Papers lay scattered across the floor, beakers and test tubes were shattered their contents laying in small pools on the counters.

"This does not bode well." Kevin said, looking around at the mess.

"This isn't the main lab." Alex nodded toward a door in the northeast corner of the room. "That way."

And again they moved cautiously into the next room. It was then that Carlos abruptly halted and Alex bumped into him, stumbling slightly. She leaned to her right, trying to get a look at what Carlos was staring at.

"Jesus…" Kevin mumbled from behind her.

Two large test tube stood in the center of the room, inside each was a hunter.

"So those are the new Gammas." Alex commented scrutinizing the creatures. They certainly looked more powerful than the first Hunters that had been developed at the Mansion.

"Alex, I do not what to know how you know about those things." Carlos then moved into the lab.

Alex shrugged and followed. She worked for Umbrella, was there really any other explanation to give? After several minutes of searching they found a medium base and the medical instruction manual.

"Looks like you get to play scientist." Alex said, from her position on a nearby desk.

It took Kevin and Carlos another five minutes to activate the power and get the synthesizer working. Alex had her attention firmly fixed on the test tubes, now drained thanks to the activation of the power switch. She had a really bad feeling coming on.

"That's it." Carlos said, holding up the Vaccine medium.

Still using the manual he somehow managed to mix the medium and base together, producing the much needed vaccine. As they moved out of the lab, Alex still had her attention on the tubes. As a result she was the first to see a definite problem develop, one of the hunters opened its eyes.

"Guys…we should get moving."

Without warning one of the hunters slammed its clawed hand into the fragile glass prison. Carlos sprinted through the open door, Alex just behind him, and Kevin bringing up the rear. Suddenly the sound of shattered glass echoed from the lab. Carlos turned as the two hunters leapt into the room. Kevin shoved Alex toward the door, turning himself. Alex didn't need to be told twice, she wasn't dumb enough to go against a hunter handcuffed and armed with only a combat knife. As gun shots echoed in the lab, Alex sprinted toward the elevator.

"Shit!"

She came to a skidding stop, face to face with another hunter. An older model to be sure, but just as deadly. It let out a loud screech and leapt toward her. In a desperate move, she fan forward, diving for the elevator. Unfortunately her aim was slightly off and she rolled into a wall instead, bruising her shoulder in the process. Moving quickly, she turned around and pushed herself against the wall.

"Ok…I'm screwed now."

Alex was sitting on her ass, backed into a wall, and handcuffed. The statement couldn't have been more true. The realization that she was about to be ripped to shreds, really didn't seem to bother her very much. Maybe she was in shock?

The thing let out a screech, and jumped again. Alex squeezed her eyes shut preparing for the pain. Instead she heard gun shots and the high squeal of a dying hunter. Alex opened her eyes, immediately spotting Kevin and Carlos standing near the door of the lab. Carlos looked slightly winded, and Kevin was holding onto his upper arm, blood seeping between his fingers. Alex pushed herself up from the floor .

"Can we please get out of here?"

"Sounds good." Carlos quickly shuffled inside, followed by Kevin.

"You alright?" A note of concern actually crept its way into Alex's normally cool voice.

"I'll live, the cuts aren't deep."

The elevator came to a stop and the three of them wasted no time, getting their asses back to the lobby. Carlos was halfway to the front doors, when he suddenly came to a dead halt, his face contorted into a mask of surprise.

"Shit…MOVE!"

In one fluid motion, Alex had not thought him capable of, he grabbed her by the arm and lifted her over his shoulder. He sprinted out the door, followed closely by Kevin. As they hit the steps, Alex caught a glimpse of what had caused Carlos such distress. Several bombs were secured to the support struts of the lobby. But a glimpse was all Alex caught atop Carlos' shoulder, as he made a mad dash down the steps and through the streets toward the Clock Tower. Suddenly they were flying through the air, as a horrendous boom echoed through the city streets. Alex hit the ground with a loud thump, banging her injured leg against a nearby trash can. She coughed several times, staring down at Carlos' face

"Ok…you were right…it _was_ a stupid plan."

"Can you please get off me?" Carlos asked, as a grin started to tug at the corner so his mouth.

Alex smirked back as she rolled off of him.

"Everyone alright?"

"I'll live, I suppose." Kevin looked disheveled and was still holding his injured arm. "My arm feels like it's about to fall off though."

Carlos stood up, then reached down and pulled her to her feet.

"Can you please get these cuffs off?" Alex turned her back to Kevin, holding out her arms.

Kevin reached into his pocket and started digging around for his keys. After only a second, his face took on a worried look.

"Um…you're not gonna believe this…"

* * *

Alex gave the bandage one last pull, causing Kevin to yelp and rub at the injured arm. He deserved it, as far as she was concerned, for losing the keys to the damn cuffs. Didn't matter that Carlos had been able to shoot the small chain with relative ease. She stood up and walked over to Jill and Carlos. It had taken an hour for the anti-virus to take effect, but she was getting better. She glanced up as Alex came to a stop.

"I suppose I should thank you."

"No thanks required."

"And here I thought you were a bitch."

"I _am _a bitch, just not a complete bitch." Alex ran a hand through her hair, pushing a few strands out of her face. "And now that I've done my little good deed for the day, I'm outta here."

Having already gotten her guns back, Alex grabbed her bag from the floor. She threw it over one shoulder and walked toward the Chapel doors. Carlos stopped her just as she grabbed the door handle.

"You don't have to go back you know." Carlos' voice was soft.

"Oh wow, now this conversation sounds familiar." Alex turned slightly glancing at Jill. "Don't you agree?"

"Yea, I think Chris basically said the same thing." Jill boosted herself off the alter, grabbed Chris' jacket, and walked toward Alex. "The offer is still on the table."

Alex smiled, but the smile never reached her eyes. "Sorry Jill, can't do that. I have my reasons." She turned her back on them and reached for the door. "Make sure Chris gets his coat back."

Suddenly the three of them were flying backwards, along with the door. Alex landed a short distance from Kevin, slamming into a pew. Jill and Carlos landed to her left in a tangle of arms and legs. The bag Alex had been holding lay in the middle of the floor, along with what was left of the door, along with a broken pew, and some pieces of plaster.

"What is it?" Alex yelled, trying to rub dust from her eyes.

"I don't know!" Was Jill's reply.

Alex finally managed to get a look at their assailant, and gasped. Umbrella had sent in a T-103 Tyrant and he could only be after one thing…the G-Virus.

"Bloody hell…"


	11. Honor

Alex pulled the magnum from her shoulder holster, not that it would do her much good. Nothing short of a rocket launcher, or some similar heavy firepower, would take that monstrosity down. A glance to her left showed her that both Jill and Carlos had pulled weapons of their own. She couldn't see Kevin, but assumed he too had armed himself.

She now found herself at an impasse. If they all opened fire at once, there was a good chance the Tyrant would become confused long enough for her to snatch the sample. However, if Alex didn't fire a shot the Tyrant would fixate on Jill and Carlos. This would give Alex the chance to escape unharmed and with the virus, but Jill and Carlos would probably die.

Decisions, decisions…

Alex clutched the magnum a bit tighter, raised it, and fired the first shot. The bullet slammed through the tyrant's chest and produced the exact reaction Alex had anticipated. The Tyrant stopped and turned in her direction. Both Jill and Carlos pulled their respective weapons up, preparing to aide her.

"No, both of you get the hell out of here!"

"But Alex, that thing will kill you!"

Jill looked as if she couldn't believe what Alex was saying. For her part, Alex didn't really know what the hell she was doing herself. Her priority was the virus, yet here she was pissing off a seven foot killing machine in the hopes of saving two people.

Behind her, Kevin had opened fire. The shots from his 45 were hitting the Tyrant square in the chest, right where the heart was. It wasn't doing a whole lot of good, but at least he was putting forth the effort.

"Jill, get your ass out of here, you're going to have enough problems getting away from Nemesis…don't add a Tyrant to the list!"

"I can't just leave you here!" Jill's face had contorted into a mask of determination.

"Jill you don't have a choice!" Alex fired several more shots into the Tyrant while she spoke. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"

Alex was still firing, but there couldn't be more than three shots left in the clip. Behind her she heard the unmistakable click of a dry fire. Seconds later a clip hit the floor, Kevin was reloading. In the middle of it all Jill stared at Alex with an emotion in her eyes Alex had not seen since coming to work for Umbrella, a mixture of pride and admiration. Alex spared Jill a glance, smiled slyly, then mouthed a single word…_GO._

Carlos grabbed Jill by the forearm, pulled her passed the rows of pews, and to the mangled doorway. Both of them gave Alex one last look, then disappeared into the Clock Tower lobby. Alex had saved their lives, at least for now, but she still had to save her own and Kevin's. A premise that was easier said, than done. They had the Tyrant's full attention now, which was certainly not the best of ideas.

Alex's clip ran dry and she grabbed for a second off the shoulder holster, slamming it home with a solid click. Behind her a second clip dropped to the floor followed closely by what could only be the sound of Kevin dropping the 45, he was out of ammo. Alex wasn't set well with ammo herself. She had a two more clips for the magnum, then of course there was the berretta and it's two and half clips worth of shells. But firing a berretta with normal 9mm ammo at a tyrant would be a lot like swatting at a licker with a fly swatter, all you would manage to do would be to piss it off. Not that both Kevin and herself, hadn't already managed to do that, but at least the hollow points from Alex's magnum were doing some damage.

During the brief respite of fire, the Tyrant once more turned its attention to the black bag containing the virus sample. It moved forward, reaching toward the bag with one large hand. In a moment born of stupidity and desperation, Alex dove forward. Just as the Tyrant caught hold of one of the bag's straps, Alex grabbed a second strap.

"Alex get out of the way!"

Alex spared him a glance and saw he had managed to retrieve the shotgun from the debris. But, at this distance there was no way he could fire on the Tyrant and not hit her. Alex gave a sharp tug on the bag, the Tyrant tugged back, and the bag broke. Alex fell backwards into the alter , landing on her ass. The contents of the bag lay scattered across the floor. By some miracle, the metal case containing the G-Virus and one frag grenade landed at her feet. She grabbed both, as the sound of the shotgun reverberated through the small chapel.

Alex counted shots as she scanned the room, looking for an exit. The Tyrant was blocking the doorway, and there was no way they could run past the pews. Unlike the other side of the room, the pews were pushed against the wall. This left them both with only one option.

"Kevin! The window…out the window!"

Kevin looked to where Alex was pointing. Behind him was a large stain glassed window, their only chance at escape. Alex fired two shots into the Tyrant as Kevin turned his attention to the window. Seconds later there was the sound of shattering glass.

"Alex come one…MOVE!"

Kevin stood halfway in the window motioning for her to hurry up. Alex fired one more shot, and bolted for the window. The Tyrant let out an inhuman bellow and turned to follow. As she reached the window, she pulled the pin on the grenade. Alex shoved Kevin through the window, tossing the grenade toward the Tyrant. It hit the floor and bounced a couple times before rolling to a stop at the Tyrant's feet. Alex dove through the window seconds before it went off.

Alex hit the ground in a hard roll coming to stop only a couple feet from Kevin. The explosion rocked the clock tower. They both covered their heads as shards of glass and other debris rained down on them. As the smoke cleared they saw that the chapel had collapsed, along with half the Clock Tower's lobby. Alex pulled herself to her feet.

"We have to get out of here, before that thing wakes up."

"You've got to be kidding me?" Kevin looked astonished. "You just blew it up, for Christ's Sake!"

"Trust me, all I did was piss it off even more."

Alex looked scared, scared and sick. Kevin decided it best to listen to her. After all, she did work for Umbrella. She would know better than anyone about whether or not the Tyrant was still alive. He slowly nodded and headed back toward the street. Alex limped along behind him, giving directions. They had to get out of town as soon as possible.

After three blocks, Kevin slowed to a stop. Alex looked like death warmed over. She leaned against one of the nearby buildings, breathing heavily. Her leg was bleeding again, probably the result of diving through that window.

"Are you alright?" The concern in Kevin's voice rang clear.

"It's the T-Virus." Alex coughed, struggling to get her breathing under control. "I don't become a zombie, but I get sick. Usually it doesn't happen this soon, but with all the running…it…it…"

Kevin managed to grab her before she hit the ground. He gently lifted the unconscious Alex into his arms, and looked around. He had to find some place safe to hide out until the virus worked its way through her system. After ten minutes he finally settled on a location, and started moving.

* * *

_Alex stared through the window, a mixture of scorn and sorrow etched on her face. The doctors paid her no mind as they went about their experiments. They also paid little to no attention to the woman strapped to the table in front of them. Except for writing their little notes and monitoring their various equipment. To them she was nothing more than a lab rat, human no longer._

_Alex noted footsteps and turned slowly from the window. Albert stopped next to her, his attention fixed on the experiment in progress._

"_You shouldn't think about it too much." _

_Albert's voice was cool and practical. It sent shivers down Alex's spine. He had never sounded like that before coming to work for Umbrella. She nodded slowly, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat. This was her job now, protect the scientists, protect the project. _

_Albert turned from the window and gave her a rare smile. Alex smiled back, instantly feeling better. Albert could always do that, make her feel better._

_But not anymore…_

_Not after the Mansion…_

* * *

Alex snapped awake, images of her first site of the T-Virus still clinging to her mind. Apparently she was on the roof of some building. She braced her arm on the roof's wall and pulled herself up. Kevin was standing a few feet to her right, looking at something. She limped over, pulling a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. It had been several moths since she'd had one, Birkin didn't allow it in the labs. But if there ever was a time to take up the habit again, this was it. She slipped a cigarette into her mouth and dug around in her pockets for a lighter, coming up empty. She sighed, reaching for the cigarette when a small flame suddenly appeared near her face. She leaned forward, lighting the cigarette. Kevin flicked the lighter closed and handed it to her.

"Keep it." His tone was clipped.

Alex accepted the lighter, looking it over for a moment. A Zippo, with the R.P.D. logo on the side. She smiled a bit and pocketed it. She took a drag and rested her elbows on the top of the roof's retaining wall, staring out over the city. From up here you could almost imagine that there was nothing wrong with the city, almost.

"When were you planning on telling me about this?" Kevin held up the metal case and several papers.

"Never." Alex took another drag off of her cigarette. "Where are we and how long have I been out?"

"Outskirts of town. I figured there wouldn't be any zombies on a roof, they can't climb stairs after all. You've been our for about five hours." Kevin lowered the case, but still looked at her with scorn in his eyes. "Why?"

"Orders."

"Orders? You're about to hand over a virus to Umbrella even more devastating than this zombie virus and that's your only excuse…orders."

"That's all I got Skippy. I was ordered to retrieve the virus, that's what I did. What they plan on doing with it isn't my concern."

"There has to be more to it than that. Why do you even still work for them after what they've done?"

Why indeed. Alex had expected this question, after all hadn't Chris and Jill asked her the same thing only weeks ago? But she didn't have an answer anymore. Alex lowered her head, staring into the ally below.

"I don't know. I've been in charge of at least two separate labs. I honestly don't know how many outbreaks I've contained. One of those outbreaks resulted in me getting infected. That's how Umbrella found out I was immune. They thought it was great to have a head of security that couldn't get infected."

Alex sighed, flicking the ashes off of her cigarette.

"I can't tell you why I do it anymore. I could give you a load of shit about how I save lives or how noble Umbrella's work is, but it isn't. Simple truth is, If I cut and run now they'd have everyone on my ass. Anyone with me would be in danger. I suppose I figured it was best just to stay where I was and do what I could to prevent something like this from happening. But I failed."

Kevin laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. She was briefly reminded of Chris, when she'd gone to pick up Albert's things. She smiled, her mind going over the possibilities. Was it possible to escape Umbrella without getting anymore people close to her killed in the process?

Suddenly, the door to the roof exploded. Alex spun around, dropping her cigarette and pulling her magnum. The Tyrant stood in the doorway.

"Holy Mary mother of Christ." Kevin whispered, pulling Alex's berretta.

Kevin had taken the words right out of Alex's mouth. The Tyrant had mutated, the result of losing its limiter during the explosion back at the Chapel. It stepped onto the roof, long claws dangling at it's sides, it was now at it's most deadly. It displayed it's newfound deadliness by raising a single claw and rushing them.

Alex had only two seconds to make a decision. She spun around, pushing Kevin out of the Tyrant's path. The claw came up and swiped down almost in a single motion. Alex fell to the roof, screaming in pain. The claws had raked her from the center of her back, across her shoulder blade, and down her left arm. Kevin fired into the monster point blank and was thrown aside, to land against the opposite wall with a sickening crack. Despite having a broken arm and several cracked ribs, Kevin continued to fire drawing the Tyrant away from Alex.

Alex pushed back the pain and managed to pull herself up, one arm laying across the retaining wall. It was then that her eyes caught the virus case and her dropped cigarette. She glanced over the wall and there it was, the thing she had been staring at only minutes before. Sitting between the two buildings was a large tanker truck.

She snatched up the case and got to her feet. The Tyrant had it's gaze firmly fixed on Kevin and was preparing for the final lunge when Alex fired a single shot into it's back. It turned to stare at her. Alex opened the case, holding up the single vile of the G-Virus sample.

"Come on you bastard, you want the fucking thing…COME AND GET IT!"

Alex and the Tyrant stared at each other for a few seconds. The virus held in her left arm, outstretched, directly over the side of the building. The Tyrant bolted forward, displaying more speed and intelligence than it had in the Chapel. Alex waited for the last possible minute then dropped the sample. It fell to the ground, bounced, and rolled under the tanker.

"Opps…my bad."

The words from Alex's mouth were cold and emotionless. As expected the Tyrant followed the vile over without hesitation. As the tyrant went over the wall, Alex turned firing three shots into the side of the tanker, gasoline poured to the ground. Still holding the gun in her right hand, she quickly retrieved the lit cigarette from the ground. When she again looked over the wall she saw the Tyrant was on it's hands and knees, desperately trying to retrieve the sample from its resting place under the tanker. The gasoline continued to pour and the Tyrant paid no heed to the fact that it was currently pouring all over him. Alex held the cigarette in one hand and raised her arm.

"Game…over."

The cigarette spun through the air, coming to land near the edge of the gasoline's ever growing puddle. But Alex didn't see that. As soon as the cigarette left her hands, she sprinted for Kevin, pulling him behind one of the large air conditioning units. For a brief second she thought she had failed, that the gas wouldn't ignite. She was wrong…

The fire caught, traveling over the puddle, up over the Tyrant's back, and into the truck itself. The explosion was deafening, rocking the very foundation of the building. The tanker rose at least ten feet into the air, before crashing back down to the street. Everything from bricks to steel flew at the buildings. Alex and Kevin covered their faces, as several pieces of fiery debris flew over their heads. Both the Tyrant and the virus sample were consumed.

Finally realizing that everything was clear, Alex peeked out from her hiding place. Laying dead center of the roof, was the Tyrant's head. A small cruel smile played across her lips. She then turned her attention to Kevin.

"Damn, you look like shit." She mumbled, running her hand over his ribs.

"Yea, and _you _look so much better." Kevin gritted his teeth as Alex's fingers found a tender spot.

"At least…"

"_Alex…Kevin this is Jill, do you read me?"_

Alex removed the radio from Kevin's belt, a _what now_ look on her face.

"This is Alex, what's up Jill?"

"_We have a problem, Umbrella is planning to destroy the city."_

All the color drained from Alex's face. She knew of this contingency, she just never though they would actually do it. Kevin looked at her with wide eyes. Alex licked her lips and depressed the talk button once more.

"How long?"

"…_eight minutes."_

Alex nodded to herself. It would be the only way to destroy all the evidence. She just never thought they could or would ever do that. It appeared that she was very, very wrong.

"Got it."

Alex slipped the radio onto her own belt and pulled Kevin to his feet. From the look on his face, it was obvious that he didn't need to be told they had to hurry. Alex glanced around the street, her eyes finally coming to rest on a Jeep. It was in pristine condition and could be their only chance of escape.

Alex and Kevin hit the pavement in record time. They made a mad dash for the Jeep, both of them pushing past the pain and forcing their bodies to the limit. Alex could feel blood and sweat running in rivers down her back, but she ignored it. Several zombies advanced toward them. Alex lifted the magnum, Kevin lifted the berretta. Each shot, hit its mark and neither one of them slowed a step. Alex dove into the driver's seat, Kevin somehow managed to crawl over her to the passenger seat. By some stroke of luck, the keys were in the ignition. The Jeep started on the first try.

She slammed the vehicle into first and dropped the clutch. The jeep jumped and took off like a shot. Alex did a 180 and pointed the car out of town, slamming it into second as they picked up speed. The zombies walking toward the vehicle were ignored as Alex worked her way through the gears, finally getting it up to fifth and about 100 mph. One zombie made the unfortunate mistake of walking into the Jeep's path. Alex didn't bat an eye.

"Hah! Ten points!"

Alex giggled uncontrollably as the zombie flew into the air landing in a crumpled heap on the ground behind the receding Jeep. Kevin had a death grip on the Jeep's roll bar, looking at Alex like she'd lost her mind. They speed out of town, Alex mentally ticking off the time they head left…

Dawn breaks over Raccoon City, overhead a missile silently makes its way to the city's center. Only the moans of the dead are there to greet it. The missile hits and for a few seconds nothing happens…

Fire sweeps over every building, consuming everything in it's path. The fire doesn't care that it is destroying years of work and taking the lives of an entire city. It has only one purpose, destruction. It does it's job well. All evidence of Raccoon, it's inhabitants, and the T-Virus is erased in only a few seconds.

Almost all evidence…


	12. Epilogue

Alex lay with her head against the Jeep's steering wheel. The pain in her back had dimmed to a dull ache. Kevin had his head resting against the roll bar. They had escaped by the skin of their teeth to be certain, but they were alive. Alex squinted into the distance, trying to decide their next move. The interstate was only three miles away. They could get some medical attention, maybe tell the authorities the truth about Raccoon City. But no one would believe the story, not with Raccoon Incinerated. Alex sat up, turning to look back down the highway. Black smoke billowed into the sky turning the bright morning into a hazy imitation of dusk. Kevin was the first one to break the silence.

"Penny for your thoughts."

"Trying to decide what to do now."

"I wonder if Jill and Carlos made it out."

Alex said nothing. She didn't dare hope that Jill had escaped alive. Hope was for fools and she had long since given up hoping for anything . Alex turned back around, her eyes once more searching the road in front of her. So many choices…

"_Kevin…Alex…"_

Alex jumped, her eyes straying to the radio on her belt. She reached for it slowly, her eyes flicking up to meet Kevin's. He said nothing as she lifted the radio to her mouth and clicked the talk button.

"Jill?"

"_Oh thank God, you're alive. Is Kevin with you?"_

"Yea, but we're both pretty banged up. Where are you?"

"_In a chopper, northeast of Raccoon. What's your position Carlos and I will come pick you up."_

Alex breathed a sigh of relief, both of them had escaped. The echo of a chopper floated through the quiet moment, interrupting her new found joy. She knew that couldn't bee Jill and Carlos, it had to be an Umbrella chopper. She stepped out of the jeep, her face turning grim as she weighed her options. Kevin stared at her with a look of confusion and worry. She forced a smile and pressed the talk button again.

"Jill just south of you is a large clearing. I want you to land there and pick up Kevin."

"_Pick up Kevin? What about you?"_

Alex wet her lips, taking a deep breath. "I can't Jill. There's a chopper near us…it has to be Umbrella. If I go with them, I may be able to cover your escape. Hell I may even be able to convince them you're dead."

There was a long pause. Kevin's face betrayed his feelings all too well. Alex smiled sadly, it was the only way.

"_Alright."_

Alex breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly explained to Jill how to get to the clearing. The clearing would have been where Alex would have wound up if she had been able to escape on the train. The dirt road that lay only feet from the stopped jeep, would take Kevin right to it. He was injured, but should still be able to drive and the trees that canopied the road would cover any dust the jeep might churn up. Alex would send Kevin on his way, then call the Umbrella chopper to pick her up. Jill listened carefully and said they'd be there in a few minutes.

Alex slipped the radio back onto her belt and turned slowly to look at Kevin. He looked so tired and somewhat sad.

"You could just leave."

"Kevin, if I try to leave, anyone with me would get hurt. I…I…" Alex's voice broke a bit as her thoughts turned to her brother and finally to Chris. "I couldn't take it again, seeing someone I care about die."

Kevin nodded, seeming to understand. At least one of them did. Alex had no idea why thoughts of Albert and Chris would come hand in hand.

Could her feeling for Chris go far deeper than mere friendship? She shook her head, that part of her life was certainly over and there was no getting it back. Chris was gone, Raccoon was gone, and she was not the same person she was so many years ago. Her only chance of seeing Chris again would be from a jail cell, when/if he took Umbrella down. She was, after all, the enemy. Unless of course she left Umbrella, but that was not an option. Besides, Chris thought of her only as a friend and Alex didn't know what she thought. Romance in the midst of this type of war was certainly not an ideal situation.

"Here, take these with you."

Kevin held his arm out, in his hand were several papers. Alex reached out, confused, and took them. In neat handwriting, each one was labeled _**"G"**_. Kevin smiled, shrugged, and started the jeep. As he pulled away and turned down the gravel road, Alex smirked.

"Do me a favor!" The Jeep stopped for a second, Kevin turning his head toward her. "Tell Chris that I'm still looking forward to seeing him at my trial…and tell him he was right!"

Kevin nodded and disappeared down the road. Alex gave him a full five minute head start before she flipped through the radio's channels and contacted the chopper. A brief security check and the chopper agreed to pick her up. Alex slipped the radio back onto her belt, her eyes falling to the papers in her hand.

She reached into her pocket and withdrew the lighter Kevin had given her. Her thumb rolled easily over the lighter's steel wheel. The flame sprang to life and Alex touched it to the edge of the papers. She slipped the lighter back into her pocket, withdrew a single cigarette and lite it off the papers, before letting the papers fall from her hands. They fluttered through the air and finally landed in the tall grass, where they burned to nothing more than ash.

The chopper arrived in short order, Alex limped inside and immediately noticed she was not the only Umbrella employee on board.

"Looks like you aren't the only survivor this time Mr. Death." The pilot smirked and lifted the chopper into the air.

Alex said nothing. Hunk would deliver the sample she could not. Umbrella would still get their hands on Birkin's research. Alex reached up and pushed her sunglasses firmly into place with the tip of index finger.

Umbrella's trade in blood and death would continue…


End file.
